Israel intercepted a rocket fired by Hezbollah near Tel Aviv on September 25, an unprecedented attack by the group that reached deep into Israeli commercial centers and marked a new escalation in the conflict between the two sides, according to CNN.
Residents in Tel Aviv and the central city of Netanya woke up to sirens as Israel announced its air defense system had intercepted a surface-to-surface missile.
This is the first time a rocket fired by Hezbollah has flown near the city, the Israeli military said.
There is no information yet on damage or casualties in the latest Hezbollah attack.
The Iran-backed Hezbollah group confirmed it had launched a Qadr 1 ballistic missile targeting the headquarters of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency.
Mossad has been blamed for attacks on Hezbollah members, including the coordinated explosion of thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies last week.
It was said to be the first ballistic missile launched by Hezbollah towards Israel and was fired "in support of the resilient Palestinians in Gaza" as well as "to protect Lebanon and its people", Hezbollah said.
The rocket was intercepted near Tel Aviv, a city of more than 4 million people on the Mediterranean coast, according to the Israeli military.
The Israeli Air Force responded by attacking the missile's launch pad in the Nafakhiyeh area of southern Lebanon.
Israeli military spokesman Nadav Shoshani described the Hezbollah rocket fired near Tel Aviv as "heavy" and "long-range".
"This is the first time Hezbollah has fired towards Tel Aviv," he said.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has repeatedly stressed that any Israeli attack on the Lebanese capital would lead to an attack on Israel's economic heartland.
The Israeli military said it struck more than 280 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon on September 25.
Since the conflict between Israel and Hamas erupted last October in Gaza, Hezbollah has fired hundreds of rockets and drones from Lebanon into northern Israel.
Some 60,000 people have fled northern Israel due to cross-border fighting. Israel says fighting will continue until it is safe for these residents to return home.
The interception of Hezbollah missiles near Tel Aviv comes days after Israeli airstrikes against Hezbollah killed more than 500 people across Lebanon. September 23 was the deadliest day in Lebanon in nearly two decades.
