The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fired one of its heaviest rocket barrages yet into Israel on Wednesday, targeting military bases and an arms factory, in response to an overnight strike that killed one of its senior commanders as tensions rise further at the border.
The commander, Taleb Abdallah, also known as Abu Taleb, was among the highest-ranking members of Hezbollah, a powerful Lebanese militia and political movement backed by Iran, to have been killed since the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel set off war in Gaza.
There were no immediate reports of casualties from the Hezbollah rocket barrages, according to the Israeli military.
Israel and Hamas have been trading fire since Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip prompted Hezbollah to mount cross-border attacks in support of Hamas, but the intensity of Hezbollah’s attacks has increased this month. Israeli officials have threatened at the highest levels to pursue further military action and Hezbollah has vowed to keep up its fight, raising fresh concerns that the months of low-level conflict could grow into a larger war on Israel’s northern border.
Speaking at Mr. Abdallah’s funeral in Beirut’s southern suburbs, Hashem Safieddine, the leader of Hezbollah’s executive council, pledged that the group would double down on its attacks against Israel in the wake of the killing.
“If the enemy’s message is to retreat from our position in supporting the oppressed in Gaza, then he must know that our answer is final,” Mr. Safieddine said. “We will increase the intensity, quantity and quality of our operations.”
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