Hezbollah's 'bold moves': Escalation targets key Israeli locations

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

From the far north to the outskirts of Tel Aviv, residents of dozens of Israeli towns and settlements entered shelters after hearing sirens in some areas while others malfunctioned. 

The Haifa Bay and its port were the primary targets of Hezbollah's bombardment, which, for the first time, reached Caesarea, where the residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his family is located. He was present in the area when it was targeted.

Meanwhile, Qiryat Shemona, Shlomi, Acre, Tiberias, Safed, Nazareth, and the cities of Misgav and Tirat Carmel, as well as other areas, also faced continuous shelling. According to Israel, Friday was the most intense day of bombardment, resulting in injuries and destruction.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who spent Friday morning in the northern region, visited Rambam Hospital in Haifa, where dozens of soldiers injured in clashes with Hezbollah and civilians hurt by rocket fire were being treated. 

He then moved to the closest border point with Lebanon, where he continued his threats.

Closed-door assessments focused on ways to continue the ground fighting in Lebanon and the execution of Israel's target list, aimed explicitly at Hezbollah leaders, including Hashem Safieddine, whom Tel Aviv claims it targeted with 73 tons of explosives in Beirut's southern suburbs after receiving precise intelligence confirming his arrival with other key figures.

The discussions also peaked around Israel's response to Iran. Several Israeli officials indicated that the primary targets for retaliation would be oil and gas facilities, aiming to make Tehran pay a heavy price for its actions. 

Meanwhile, an Israeli report revealed that the cost of the defense systems that intercepted the missiles amounted to $450 million, while the value of Iran's ballistic missiles was $200 million.