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Lebanon: Hezbollah launches huge 340 rocket salvo at Israel

Israeli military officials said air defences had intercepted a number of projectiles and that 11 people were wounded in the attack
People watch as Israeli security forces inspect the vicinity of a damaged house in Rinatya village in central Israel on 24 November (Menahem Kahana / AFP)

At least 340 rockets were launched from Lebanon into Israel, Israeli media outlets reported on Monday.

According to Israeli army radio, the Lebanese Hezbollah movement fired hundreds of rockets which wounded at least 11 people. The army said it intercepted a number of the projectiles.

The attack came after Israel killed at least 29 people in a strike in central Beirut on Sunday, while at least 66 others were wounded, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health.

More than 3,500 people have been killed in Israeli attacks and at least 14,929 wounded since the start of the conflict a year ago.

The UN said last week that over 200 children have been killed in Lebanon since Israel escalated attacks targeting Hezbollah in mid-September.

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Two senior Israeli officials and two US officials told Axios on Monday that Lebanon and Israel are on the verge of agreeing to a ceasefire deal.

The US reportedly agreed to give Israel a letter of assurances that includes "support for Israeli military action against imminent threats from Lebanese territory, and for action to disrupt things like the re-establishment of a Hezbollah military presence near the border or the smuggling of heavy weapons".

Israel would take such actions after consultations with the US, and if the Lebanese army had not dealt with the issue first.

A complication may arise after the International Criminal Court's issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant.

France, a country Lebanon wants to be involved in the ceasefire process, said that it would respect the court's decision.

Axios said that US President Joe Biden spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron to tell him Netanyahu was "right" to be angry about the French position on the ICC warrants.

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