BEIRUT / JERUSALEM – The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah launched its largest and most sophisticated rocket and drone attack on northern Israel on Wednesday since cross-border hostilities began eight months ago, dramatically escalating tensions and pushing the volatile region closer to a full-scale war.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reported that approximately 215 projectiles, including rockets and anti-tank missiles, were fired from Lebanon into northern Israel in several waves. Air raid sirens blared across numerous communities, including the city of Tiberias, which was targeted for the first time, sending residents rushing to bomb shelters.

The massive barrage was a direct retaliation for an Israeli airstrike late Tuesday that killed Taleb Sami Abdullah, the most senior Hezbollah commander to be eliminated since the conflict started in parallel with the Gaza war on October 7. Abdullah, who commanded Hezbollah's operations in the central region of the southern border strip, was killed along with three other operatives in the village of Jouaiyya in southern Lebanon.

A Calculated Escalation

Hezbollah’s response was swift and powerful. In a statement, the Iran-backed group claimed responsibility for the attacks, stating it had targeted several Israeli military headquarters and installations, including the Meron air surveillance base and the Ami'ad camp near Safed.

The attacks caused widespread brushfires across the Galilee and Golan Heights, fueled by hot, dry weather. The Israeli Fire and Rescue Services said they were battling multiple blazes, with several homes and properties sustaining damage from shrapnel and direct hits. While Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system intercepted many of the projectiles, the sheer volume of the barrage overwhelmed defenses in some areas. No immediate casualties were reported by Israeli medical services.

"This is not just another day of fighting; this is a clear and deliberate escalation by Hezbollah," an IDF spokesperson said in a statement. "Our response will be firm and decisive. Hezbollah is dragging Lebanon into a dangerous war from which it will not benefit."

In retaliation, the IDF confirmed it conducted extensive airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, including what it described as rocket launching sites and military infrastructure in the areas of Yater and Hanine.

Fears of a Wider War Mount

The elimination of Commander Abdullah and Hezbollah’s forceful reprisal have intensified fears that the contained, tit-for-tat exchanges could spiral into a major regional conflict. For months, tens of thousands of civilians have been evacuated from communities on both sides of the border. This latest flare-up threatens to make a diplomatic off-ramp, championed by the United States and France, increasingly difficult to achieve.

A senior Hezbollah official, Hashem Safieddine, speaking at Abdullah’s funeral, issued a defiant warning. "Our response after the martyrdom of Taleb Abdullah is that we will increase the intensity, strength, and diversity of our operations," Safieddine stated. "If the enemy is screaming and moaning about what happened to it in northern Palestine, let it prepare itself to cry and wail."

International observers are watching the situation with growing alarm. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has repeatedly called for restraint, warning that any miscalculation could lead to a devastating war. The Biden administration, which has been working to prevent the Gaza conflict from expanding, has urged a de-escalation, but its influence appears limited as both sides signal their readiness for a more intense confrontation.

The cross-border conflict has already resulted in the deaths of at least 455 people in Lebanon, including 88 civilians, and 15 soldiers and 11 civilians in Israel, according to a tally by news agencies. The rising death toll and the increasingly destructive nature of the attacks underscore the precariousness of the situation on Israel's northern front.