Middle East latest: Hezbollah fires rockets into central Israel

People take cover as a siren warns of incoming rockets during the funeral of Alexei Popov, who was killed during a rocket attack fired from Lebanon last weekend, at the Tel Regev cemetery in the outskirts of Haifa, northern Israel, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Hezbollah launched a barrage of rockets into central Israel on Tuesday, setting off air raid sirens in the country’s most populated areas but causing no apparent damage or injuries.

The Israeli military said five projectiles were fired from Lebanon into Israel and said most were intercepted by Israel’s missile defense system. One landed in an open area.

The rocket fire came as Israel stepped up its strikes in Lebanon, targeting a Hezbollah-run financial institution, and as the U.S. pushed to resume cease-fire talks in Gaza following the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to annihilate Hamas and recover dozens of hostages held by the group. Hamas says it will only release the captives in return for a lasting cease-fire, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the release of Palestinian prisoners.

On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led militants blew holes in Israel’s security fence and stormed in, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting another 250. Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed over 42,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, who do not distinguish combatants from civilians. The war has destroyed large areas of Gaza and displaced about 90% of its population of 2.3 million people.

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Here's the latest:

Hezbollah fires rockets into central Israel

TEL AVIV, Israel — Hezbollah launched a barrage of rockets into central Israel on Tuesday, setting off air raid sirens in the country’s most populated areas but causing no apparent damage or injuries.

The Israeli military said five projectiles were fired from Lebanon into Israel and said most were intercepted by Israel’s missile defense system. One landed in an open area.

Israeli police said there were no reports of damage or injury following the salvo.

The Israeli military said that at the same time, about 15 projectiles were fired from Lebanon into northern Israel.

The rocket fire came as Israel stepped up its strikes in Lebanon, targeting a Hezbollah-run financial institution, and as Israeli troops push ahead in their invasion of southern Lebanon.

Smoke rises from an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Flames and smoke rise from an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh in the southern suburb of Beirut, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
People displaced by Israel's war on Hezbollah gesture after scuffle with members of the Lebanese security, after dozens of policemen arrived at the building to evict the displaced from the private property, in Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
People displaced by Israel's war on Hezbollah scuffle with members of the Lebanese security, after dozens of policemen arrived at the building to evict the displaced from the private property, in Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
People displaced by Israel's war on Hezbollah leave a building after scuffle with members of the Lebanese security, after dozens of policemen arrived at the building to evict the displaced from the private property, in Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
A bust of the late Iranian General Qassem Soleimani stands in front of a destroyed branch of the Hezbollah-run Qard al-Hassan, which was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Men from the Israeli Druze minority mourn during the funeral of Israeli Colonel Ehsan Daxa in Daliyat al-Carmel, Israel, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. Daxa, 41, was killed during Israel's ground operation in the Gaza Strip, where the Israeli army has been battling Palestinian militants in the war ignited by Hamas' Oct. 7 2023 attack into Israel. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Israeli soldiers carry the flagged-covered coffin of Israeli Druze Colonel Ehsan Daxa, in Daliyat al-Carmel, Israel, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. Daxa, 41, was killed during Israel's ground operation in the Gaza Strip, where the Israeli army has been battling Palestinian militants in the war ignited by Hamas' Oct. 7 2023 attack into Israel. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Women from the Israeli Druze minority mourn during the funeral of Israeli Colonel Ehsan Daxa in Daliyat al-Carmel, Israel, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. Daxa, 41, was killed during Israel's ground operation in the Gaza Strip, where the Israeli army has been battling Palestinian militants in the war ignited by Hamas' Oct. 7 2023 attack into Israel. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Israeli soldiers close the gate of Erez Crossing after trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel, Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)