The Israeli military says about 150 rockets, missiles and other projectiles have been fired at its territory overnight and on Sunday.
It says most of the strikes were launched by Hezbollah in Lebanon. They reached further into Israel than before, including close to the port city of Haifa, where at least three people were wounded.
The Israeli army also said projectiles launched from Iraq had been brought down. Hundreds of thousands of people have sought shelter.
The Israeli military has continued its attacks on Hezbollah targets, after claiming to have struck nearly 300 on Saturday. Lebanon said three people were killed in strikes in the south of the country on Sunday.
Also on Sunday, Hezbollah held funerals for Ibrahim Aqil, one of a dozen senior leaders of the groups killed in an Israeli airstrike near Beirut on Friday. Lebanon said a total of 45 people, including children, died in that attack.
In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said: “About 150 rockets, cruise missiles and UAVs [drones] were launched towards the territory of Israel, most of them towards the north of the country.”
The barrage reached the town of Kirayt Bialik on the outskirts of Haifa, where rockets damaged homes and vehicles.
Local resident Achiya Itschaky told Reuters news agency: “Around 06:30 there was an alarm and then immediately afterwards a big explosion – very, very big explosion – even three or four houses from here. Our window in the main room was completely destroyed.”
The Israeli military has closed schools in Haifa, as well as in other northern areas up to the Lebanese border. Residents have been told to restrict outdoor gatherings to fewer than 10 people.
Late on Saturday, IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said dozens of Israeli warplanes were “widely” hitting Hezbollah targets. The IDF later warned that its strikes against Hezbollah “will continue and will intensify”.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “In recent days, we have landed a series of blows on Hezbollah that it could have never imagined.”
The IDF said that many of the projectiles had been intercepted overnight, including two that had been launched from Iraq.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a Iran-backed group, said it had launched cruise missile and explosive drone attacks at Israel.
The latest cross-border exchanges have sparked renewed international concern.
The White House said military escalation was not in Israel’s “best interest”. The EU said it was “extremely” concerned and UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy called for an “immediate ceasefire”.
The UN special co-ordinator in Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasscharet, said the region was “on the brink of an imminent catastrophe”.
Earlier this week, 39 people were killed and thousands wounded after pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah, the politically-influential Iran-backed organisation, exploded on two days across Lebanon.
On Thursday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah blamed Israel for the attacks, saying it had crossed “all red lines” and vowed “just punishment”. Israel has not claimed responsibility.
As fears increase that the conflict may break out into a full-scale war, the US state department issued new travel advice for citizens currently in Lebanon.
The US embassy in Beirut has urged people to “depart Lebanon while commercial options still remain available”.
Neighbouring Jordan’s foreign ministry issued similar advice to its citizens, urging those in Lebanon to leave as soon as possible.
Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah escalated on 8 October 2023 – the day after the attack on Israel by Hamas gunmen from Gaza – when Hezbollah fired at Israeli positions.
