Israel launched an intensive air campaign in southern and eastern Lebanon on Monday, targeting Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group that operates out of the country. The strikes killed nearly 500 people and wounded 1,800 others, making it the deadliest day in Lebanon in nearly two decades.
The strikes came less than a week after hundreds of pagers carried by Hezbollah members in Lebanon blew up nearly simultaneously in an attack by Israel’s intelligence service and military.
Hezbollah fired multiple rocket barrages into northern Israel in response to the attacks. On Wednesday, Israel intercepted a missile fired by the militant group near Tel Aviv, an unprecedented attack that reached deep into the country’s commercial heartlands. It is believed to be the first ballistic missile launched by Hezbollah toward Israel.
Israel and Hezbollah have been stuck in tit-for-tat escalation since the war in Gaza began. But over the past week, Israel’s escalated attacks on the group have again heightened fears of a wider regional war.
Here are some of the stories that made headlines over the past week, as well as some photos that caught our eye.
