Israel reportedly intercepted a missile launched at Tel Aviv by Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah early on Wednesday morning.

This marks a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which intensified when Israel launched a preemptive strike on the Lebanon-based terrorist group to stop a planned October 7-style attack.

Israel has been targeting Hezbollah’s military infrastructure, causing significant damage to the terrorist group. Israeli officials confirmed that its air defense system neutralized the missile, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Hezbollah’s attack triggered alarms throughout Tel Aviv, sending residents scrambling into shelters. The terrorist group claims its attack was directed at the Mossad, claiming retaliation for the assassinations of several key Hezbollah leaders.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) responded swiftly, launching a retaliatory strike on the missile launcher in southern Lebanon that was used in the attack on Tel Aviv. Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari told The Wall Street Journal that Hezbollah recently fired 300 projectiles into Israel. Six people were injured in the attack.

Israel has sharply raised the intensity of its military operations against Hezbollah over the past week in hopes of persuading the militia to stop firing on Israel’s north, which would allow tens of thousands of displaced residents to return to their homes. The U.S. and Arab governments are concerned the surge in fighting risks spiraling into an all-out war after nearly a year of lower-intensity fighting, sparked when Hezbollah began firing rockets across the border shortly after the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks on southern Israel.

Monday’s strikes in Lebanon were by far the deadliest day of skirmishes in the current hostilities and the worst bout of bloodshed between Israel and Hezbollah since their monthlong conflict in 2006. Since Monday, the strikes have killed more than 550 people, including dozens of women and children, and wounded more than 1,800, according to Lebanese authorities.

Despite efforts to shoot down Hezbollah’s rockets, some manage to make it through Israel’s defenses, which has left citizens in a state of constant worry.

At about 6.30am on Sunday, Ami Aziza, 40, had just enough time to usher his family into their safe room, a fortified space found in many Israeli homes. Three seconds later, an Iranian-made Fajr-3 rocket struck their small street, lined with low-rise homes and flats, leaving a crater and setting vehicles ablaze. Three people were injured.

“If the rocket had fallen two metres further, it would have destroyed my house,” said Aziza, as he, along with other residents, tried to clear the debris of the strike from his home. “This was a peaceful town. And we want to go back to our normal lives, to our work. We want our children to go back to school. We want a diplomatic solution of this conflict. Since this new war with Lebanon started, everything has changed.”

Hello. How was your morning?

Here in Tel Aviv, it’s 06.30am and we had to rush our babies to bomb shelter, after the Hezbollah terrorist cowards fired a missile at half a million people.

This is a war crime. This is evil. It must be condemned! pic.twitter.com/wryXtmDReA

— Arsen Ostrovsky 🎗️ (@Ostrov_A) September 25, 2024

Hezbollah recently asked Iran to intervene in the conflict, but the regime has refrained from doing so.

Meanwhile, Israeli efforts to eliminate Hamas in the Gaza Strip continue as the IDF also works to free hostages. Over 40 Hamas terrorists were killed over recent days during raids in the region.