Israel launches 'dozens' of deadly airstrikes in Bekaa and south
The Israeli military said on Sunday its air force had struck "dozens of Hezbollah terror targets" after carrying out "hundreds" of strikes on Friday and Saturday.
Lebanon's National News Agency reported a string of raids in and around the city of Baalbek in the east.
At least 15 people were meanwhile killed in a strike in the Bekaa town of Zboud.
At least six people were killed in a strike on a house in the northeastern Hermel region, the agency reported, while an emergency response group affiliated with Hezbollah ally Amal movement said five of its rescuers were killed in the south.
Hezbollah said its fighters launched "a volley of Fadi-1" rockets at an Israeli base in the Golan Heights early Sunday.
The Israeli military reported "approximately eight" launches from Lebanon that fell in unpopulated areas near the Israeli-annexed territory.
Analysts told AFP that Nasrallah's death leaves bruised Hezbollah under pressure to respond.
"Either we see an unprecedented reaction by Hezbollah... or this is total defeat," said Heiko Wimmen of the International Crisis Group think tank.
The assassination also showcased Israel's military and intelligence prowess in its battle against its foes.
"It demonstrates not only significant technological capacity but just how deeply Israel has penetrated Hezbollah," said James Dorsey of Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.
Hezbollah backer Iran has condemned Nasrallah's assassination, with First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref threatening it would bring about Israel's "destruction".
Iran's U.N. envoy Amir Saeid Iravani urged diplomacy to prevent Israel "from dragging the region into full-scale war."
Hamas condemned Nasrallah's killing as a "cowardly terrorist act", while Lebanon, Iraq, Iran and Syria all declared public mourning.
Allied armed groups across the region like Yemen's Houthi rebels, already drawn into the Gaza war, have vowed action against Israel.
An "unmanned aerial target" approaching Israel over the Red Sea -- where the Iran-backed Houthis have launched attacks before -- was intercepted on Sunday, the Israeli military said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Diplomats have said efforts to end the war in Gaza were key to halting the fighting in Lebanon and bringing the region back from the brink.
Source: Agence France Presse, Naharnet
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://mobile.naharnet.com/stories/en/308341 |