A barrage of around 20 rockets was fired from Lebanon into northern Israel's Upper Galilee, the Israeli army reported on Sunday afternoon. Most of the rockets were intercepted by Israel's air defense systems, and there have been no reports of injuries or major damage from the attack.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the rocket fire, stating that the strikes were aimed at the Israeli towns of Rosh Pina and Safed.

Another 25 rockets were launched toward the Haifa Bay area, setting off sirens in Acre. The Israeli army said the rockets had all struck open areas.

In response, Israeli fighter jets launched retaliatory airstrikes, hitting 45 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon's Kafra region. According to the Israeli military, the strikes targeted key infrastructure, including weapons depots and other military facilities.

The escalation extended beyond southern Lebanon, as Israeli warplanes conducted two airstrikes at approximately 2:30 PM on the eastern part of Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold. The explosions, heard across the city, occurred between the Chiyah and Ghobeiry districts. Ambulances quickly arrived at the scene, and plumes of smoke were visible over the area.

A military source told Israeli Army Radio that the operation aimed to assassinate a senior Hezbollah leader, and they are in the process of confirming the outcome. Reports suggest that the target of the strike was a key figure in Hezbollah’s chemical unit, which is responsible for managing explosives labs and missile production.

However, sources on the ground refuted media reports that Abu Ali Reda, the commander of Hezbollah’s Bader Unit, was the target. Instead, they clarified that the person targeted was the leader of Hezbollah’s Unit 1600, which oversees production materials for rockets and missiles. 

Earlier in the day, Israeli aircraft had maintained a continuous presence over Beirut and its suburbs, conducting additional operations in various regions in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley.

Lebanon's National News Agency reported that Israeli jets struck the outskirts of the town of Bdeias, near Tyre, with three consecutive strikes targeting the same location.

Additionally, Israeli airstrikes for the first time targeted the town of Jeb Jennin in the Western Bekaa Valley, killing Mohammed Dahrouj, a senior leader of the Jamaa Islamiya group.