Israel-Hezbollah fighting intensifies in yearlong Gaza conflict

Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel's third-largest city, Haifa, and Israel looked poised to expand its offensive into Lebanon on Monday, one year into the latest Gaza conflict. The conflict has spread across the Middle East and raised fears of an all-out regional war.

Hezbollah, an ally in Lebanon of the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza, said it targeted a military base south of Haifa with Fadi 1 missiles and launched another strike on Tiberias, 65 kilometers away.

The armed group later said it also targeted areas north of Haifa. Israel's military said around 190 projectiles had entered Israeli territory on Monday, leaving at least 12 injured.

Israel's military said the air force was carrying out extensive bombings of Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon and two Israeli soldiers were killed, taking the Israeli military death toll inside Lebanon to 11.

Lebanon's health ministry reported dozens of deaths, including 10 firefighters killed in an air strike on a municipal building in the border area. Around 2,000 Lebanese have been killed since Hezbollah began firing at Israel a year ago in solidarity with Palestinians, most of them killed in the past few weeks.

The Israeli military has described its ground operation in Lebanon as "localized, limited and targeted," but it has steadily increased in scale since last week.

Israeli soldiers have been moving into southern Lebanon. The Israel Defense Force (IDF) says their aim is to clear border areas where Hezbollah fighters have been embedded, with no plans to go deep into Lebanon.

"This operation follows a series of strikes aimed at degrading Hezbollah's command, control and firing capabilities, as well as assisting ground forces in achieving their operational goals," the IDF said in a statement.

The spiraling conflict has raised concerns that the U.S. and Iran will be embroiled in a wider war in the region. Iran launched a barrage of missiles at Israel on October 1. Israel has said it will retaliate and is weighing its options, with Iran's oil facilities as a possible target.

Israeli air strikes have displaced 1.2 million people in Lebanon, and Israel's intensified bombing campaign has left many Lebanese worried their country will experience the vast scale of destruction wrought on Gaza by Israel.

Israeli forces issued a warning in Arabic to beachgoers and boat users to avoid a stretch of the Lebanese coast, saying it would soon begin operations against Hezbollah from the sea.

(With input from Reuters)