Tension escalates in Middle East as Israel, Hezbollah exchange heavy fire

Tel Aviv [Israel], September 22 :The exchange of fire between Israel and Hezbollah has escalated tensions in the Middle East, with Israel launching 400 attacks on Lebanon and Hezbollah firing rockets at a key Israeli base, Ramat David base near the city of Haifa, according to a report by Al Jazeera.
Hezbollah on Sunday announced it had targeted Israeli military-industrial complexes north of Haifa, with Israel reporting three people injured in the attack.
In a statement, the group said it targeted strategic military sites, specifically the complexes of Rafael Electronics Company north of Haifa with dozens of missiles as an initial response to the "pager and wireless devices massacre," Anadolu Agency reported.
Notably, the walkie-talkies and pager explosions in Lebanon resulted in devastating consequences. In the latest attacks on Wednesday, at least 20 people lost their lives and over 450 were injured in Lebanon.
Meanwhile, confirming the attack, the Israeli army said that more than 115 rockets were launched from southern Lebanon toward northern Israel.
Separately, the Israeli army said in a statement that it is "now attacking targets of Hezbollah in Lebanon" in response to the group's attack on Haifa. It added that "in recent hours, the Air Force has intercepted aerial threats and launches carried out by Hezbollah towards civilian spaces in the north of the country," according to Anadolu Agency.
The Israeli Defence Forces also shared a post on X handle and said that Hezbollah is targeting civilians, forcing hundreds of thousands of Israeli civilians to seek refuge in bomb shelters overnight.
"Hezbollah's terrorism targets civilians. Hundreds of thousands of Israeli civilians spent their night hiding in bomb shelters, while barrages of rockets were flying over their heads, some hitting their homes, and rocket alert sirens were constantly sounding throughout the night."
"Thousands of children will stay in bomb shelters today instead of going to school due to the risk to their lives. We must stop this reality," the post further said.
Meanwhile, the United Nations special coordinator for Lebanon has sounded the alarm, warning of an "imminent catastrophe" in the Middle East amid rising tensions between Israel and Lebanon.
"With the region on the brink of an imminent catastrophe, it cannot be overstated enough: there is NO military solution that will make either side safer," special coordinator Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert wrote on X.
Notably, tensions mounted after at least 37 people, including three children and seven women, lost their lives in an Israeli air attack in Beirut's southern suburbs, with the death toll continuing to rise, Al Jazeera reported citing Lebanon's health minister's statement.
The strike, which occurred during Friday's rush hour, targeted two buildings in the Lebanese capital's Dahiya district, also leaving over 60 people injured and 17 others still trapped under the rubble, according to Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad.
A series of deadly incidents have escalated tensions in Lebanon, leaving dozens dead and thousands injured. On Tuesday and Wednesday, explosions from thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies killed at least 39 people and wounded nearly 3,000 others. The Lebanese government has blamed Israel for these incidents.