Hezbollah Targets Israel With 'Volcano' Rockets as Tensions Soar

The militant group Hezbollah launched missile strikes against Israel on Saturday using rockets dubbed "The Volcano," as tensions continue to soar along the country's northern border with Lebanon.

The Associated Press reported Saturday that Israel had launched airstrikes along the Lebanese border, as Hezbollah carried out several strikes of its own against Israeli military sites. One of these Israeli sites, known in Lebanon as Jal al-Allam, was struck by two large Burkan missiles, according to the AP. Translated as "volcano" in Arabic, Burkan missiles have an operational range of 500-2,000 meters and are outfitted with sizeable warheads that can weigh hundreds of kilograms.

This escalating tension comes amid Israel's ongoing conflict with the militant group, Hamas, in Gaza, following a historically violent attack it carried out on October 7 that killed 1,400 Israelis. The AP reported that, in the ensuing counterattacks by Israel, over 9,000 Palestinians in the Gaza region have also been killed. Hamas and Hezbollah, notably, are considered allies, and are both designated as terrorist organizations by the United States.

The day before the Burkan strikes, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah claimed that the group was engaged in unprecedented levels of conflict with Israel along its border with Lebanon, and that it was prepared to escalate the conflict further "at any time."

Videos purporting to show one of Saturday's missile strikes began to circulate through local news coverage and on social media. One notable clip posted to X, formerly Twitter, showing a strike resulting in a massive explosion and accompanying plume of smoke, has been disputed, with initial reports claiming that it was a Hezbollah strike, while others claimed that it was Israeli. Newsweek could not independently verify any of these claims.

When asked for comment by Newsweek, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) press office said only that it was "ready for any development in the northern border."

Newsweek also reached out to Hezbollah's media relations unit via email for comment.

On Friday, Nasrallah made his first broadcast appearance since the renewal of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, making a speech in which he warned the U.S. about its efforts to deter a wider conflict in the region.

"To the Americans, I say to you, remember your defeats in Lebanon, Iraq, in Afghanistan, and remember how you humiliatingly withdrew from Afghanistan," he said. "Today, Americans, I say to you, that those who defeated you in Lebanon at the beginning of the '80s, they are still alive and together with them we have today their children and their grandchildren."

The speech was considered a failure by many in the region, who had been hoping for Hezbollah to do more against Israel, with Nasrallah reiterating his group's support for Palestinians and Hamas, and calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

"The depth of the disappointment for those who want Hezbollah to do more against Israel is a reflection of the height of anticipation leading up to Nasrallah's speech. For them, Nasrallah's speech failed to deliver," Firas Maksad, a senior fellow and director of outreach at the Middle East Institute, previously told Newsweek.

Updated 11/5/2023, 4:26 p.m. ET: This article was updated to include a response from the IDF.