 "The The Qader-1 is a surface-to-surface missile developed by Iran. Image courtesy: Mohammad Sadegh Heydari")
Hezbollah has fired a ballistic missile at Israel.
The Lebanon-based terror group targeted a location near Tel Aviv.
The development came a day after the group backed by Iran launched half a dozen missiles at Israeli air bases and an explosives factory.
Israeli airstrikes on Monday had left over 550 dead and 1,500 wounded in southern Lebanon.
But what do we know about the ballistic missile and the target? And what’s going on?
Let’s take a closer look:
What do we know about the ballistic missile and the target?
As per Al Jazeera, Lebanon fired a Qader-1 missile at Israel.
The Qader-1 is a surface-to-surface missile.
Developed by Iran, the missile is designed to be used for medium-range attacks.
The weapon, which has a range of 200 to 300 kilometres, is famed for its accuracy and payload.
The Qader-1 is between 15.5 and 16.58 meters long.
It has a diameter of 1.25 meters.
The Qader 1 weighs between 15 and 17.5 tons.
Its warhead weighs between 700 to 1,000 kilograms.
It uses a combination of liquid and solid fuel and its trajectory is similar to ballistic missiles.
The target was Mossad’s headquarters near Tel Aviv.
“The Islamic Resistance launched a ‘Qader 1’ ballistic missile at 6:30am (03:30 GMT) on Wednesday, 25-9-2024, targeting the Mossad headquarters in the outskirts of Tel Aviv,” Hezbollah said in a statement. “This headquarters is responsible for the assassination of leaders and the explosion of pagers and wireless devices.”
Hezbollah claimed that the location was where Israel planned its recent pager attacks on Lebanon.
It added that the strike was undertaken “in defence of Lebanon and its people” as well as the people of Gaza.
The IDF has said it intercepted the ballistic missile using the David’s Sling defence system.
As per The Times of Israel, there were no reports of injuries or damage.
The IDF said it later hit the launcher used to fire the missile in Nafakhiyeh in southern Lebanon.
Al Jazeera’s Imran Khan said the Qader-1 was fired at Tel Aviv to send a “message”.
“It’s only one missile, so it’s more than likely to be a message from Hezbollah that they still have ballistic missile capability,” Khan said.
“The Israeli army says that their missile defence system intercepted it. The fear for the Israelis is that the missile defence system simply gets overwhelmed.”
What is happening?
CNN reported that at least 10 people were killed by airstrikes on Lebanon on Wednesday.
This included three dead and 13 injured in the town of Ain Qana, three others dead and nine hurt in Al-Maaysra, and four more dead and seven injured in Joun.
The IDF has claimed to have hit over 100 targets in Lebanon on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported that a possible ground invasion of Lebanon could be in the offing.
It said Defence Minister Yoav Gallant met soldiers training for a ground invasion scenario.
Early on Wednesday, an Israeli strike hit the seaside town of Jiyyeh, north of the border with Israel, two security sources said.
Hezbollah early on Wednesday confirmed senior commander Ibrahim Qubaisi was killed by Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday. Israel said Qubaisi headed the group’s missile and rocket force.
Israel on late Tuesday said that fighter jets carried out “extensive strikes” on Hezbollah weapons and rocket launchers across southern Lebanon and in the Bekaa region to the north.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said the attacks had weakened Hezbollah and would continue.
Hezbollah “has suffered a sequence of blows to its command and control, its fighters, and the means to fight. These are all severe blows,” he told Israeli troops.
He accused the UN of shirking its responsibility to prevent Hezbollah’s attacks into Israel.
The new offensive against Hezbollah has stoked fears that nearly a year of conflict between Israel and the militant Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza is escalating and could destabilise West Asia.
Britain urged its nationals to leave Lebanon and said it was moving 700 troops to Cyprus to help its citizens evacuate.
“Events in the past hours and days have demonstrated how volatile this situation is, which is why our message is clear, British nationals should leave now,” Defence Secretary John Healey said as per Indian Express.
Asked about the duration of Israel’s operations in Lebanon, military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said at a news conference that it aims to keep them “as short as possible, that’s why we’re attacking with great force. At the same time, we must be prepared for it to take longer.”
Hezbollah said its missile attacks Tuesday targeted eight sites in Israel, including an explosives factory in Zichron Yaakov, 60 kilometers from the border.
Hezbollah said it launched rockets at the Dado military base in northern Israel and attacked the Atlit naval base south of Haifa with drones, among other targets.
It fired 300 rockets, injuring six soldiers and civilians, most of them lightly, according to Hagari, the Israeli military spokesman.
The renewed exchange came after Monday’s barrages racked up the highest death toll in any single day in Lebanon since Israel and Hezbollah fought a bruising monthlong war in 2006.
The UN Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting on Lebanon for Wednesday at the request of France.
“Lebanon is at the brink. The people of Lebanon – the people of Israel – and the people of the world - cannot afford Lebanon to become another Gaza," UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said.
Pope Francis called Israeli strikes on Lebanon a “terrible escalation” of the conflict in West Asia.
He made the remarks on Wednesday at the end of his weekly general audience at the Vatican, which went ahead two days after he cancelled meetings over mild flu.
The pope said the attacks, in which Israel says it has been striking targets affiliated with the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, were “unacceptable” and urged the international community to do everything possible to halt the fighting.
Francis did not specifically identify Israel, but said he was “saddened by news from Lebanon in recent days that bombardments have caused much destruction and many victims”.
Israel said it targeted sites where Hezbollah had stored weapons. Data from American fire-tracking satellites analyzed Tuesday by The Associated Press showed the wide range of Israeli airstrikes aimed at southern Lebanon, covering an area of over 1,700 square kilometers.
NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management System typically is used to track US wildfires, but can also be used to track the flashes and burning that follow airstrikes. Data from Monday showed significant fires across southern Lebanon and in the Bekaa Valley.
The Lebanese Health Ministry said at least 564 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since Monday, including 50 children and 94 women, and that more than 1,800 have been wounded — a staggering toll for a country still reeling from a deadly attack on communication devices last week.
In Beirut, thousands of displaced people who fled from southern Lebanon were sheltering in schools and other buildings.
At the Technical Institute of Bir Hassan, volunteers brought water bottles, medicine and other supplies for the new arrivals.
In one classroom, 11-month-old Matila slept on a mattress while children elsewhere stood on chairs to pass time by scribbling on a whiteboard. Rima Ali Chahine, 50, said the shelter provided diapers, pastries and milk for the children.
“It’s a lot of pressure for grownups and children. They’re exhausted and stressed. They could not sleep,” she said. “The kids - they are living through terrible conditions.”
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said Hezbollah will not be beaten by its leaders being targeted.
“Yes, they incur damage. Some of the effective and valuable elements of Hezbollah were martyred, it was definitely a loss for Hezbollah. But, it is not enough to destroy Hezbollah,” Khamenei was quoted a saying by CNN.
“Hezbollah’s organizational and personnel strength is much more than this. Their authority, their ability, their strength is beyond getting seriously damaged by these martyrdoms.”
Nearly a year of fighting between Hezbollah and Israel had displaced tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border before this week’s escalation. Israel has vowed to do whatever it takes to ensure its citizens can return to their homes in the north, while Hezbollah has said it will keep up its rocket attacks until there is a cease-fire in Gaza, which appears increasingly remote.
The Israeli military says it has no immediate plans for a ground invasion but is prepared for one. It has moved thousands of troops who had been serving in Gaza to the northern border. It says Hezbollah has some 150,000 rockets and missiles, including some capable of striking anywhere in Israel, and that the group has fired some 9,000 rockets and drones since last October.
Israel said its warplanes struck 1,600 Hezbollah targets Monday, destroying cruise missiles, long- and short-range rockets and attack drones, including weapons concealed in private homes.
Monday’s escalation came after a particularly heavy exchange of fire Sunday, when Hezbollah launched around 150 rockets, missiles and drones into northern Israel.
Last week, thousands of communications devices used mainly by Hezbollah members exploded in different parts of Lebanon, killing 39 people and wounding nearly 3,000, many of them civilians. Lebanon blamed Israel, but Israel did not confirm or deny responsibility.
With inputs from agencies