**Hezbollah Rockets Rain Down on Israel After Strikes on Beirut; Seven Injured**

In a significant escalation of hostilities, Hezbollah launched approximately 250 rockets and other projectiles into Israel, wounding seven individuals. This strike is in response to recent deadly Israeli airstrikes in Beirut, while cease-fire negotiations to end the war continue. Some of the rockets reached as far as Tel Aviv, striking at the heart of Israel.

The violence began when Hezbollah retaliated to Israeli airstrikes, which killed over 40 Lebanese soldiers since the start of the conflict with Hezbollah, even though Lebanon's military has largely avoided direct involvement. An Israeli strike targeting an army center near Tyre and Naqoura resulted in the death of a Lebanese soldier and injured 18 others. Israel acknowledged the incident, stating it was an operational mistake in a combat zone against Hezbollah.

Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned the Israeli strike, labeling it a blatant attack on cease-fire efforts led by the United States. Hezbollah's rocket attacks, in turn, were portrayed as an act of solidarity with Palestinians and Hamas. Israel's retaliatory airstrikes, which began in full force in September, included the killing of Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

Israel's medical response team, Magen David Adom, treated seven injured people, including a 60-year-old man in severe condition in northern Israel, a 23-year-old man lightly wounded in Petah Tikva near Tel Aviv, and a 70-year-old woman with smoke inhalation injuries. A residential building in Haifa was struck by a rocket, reportedly putting it at risk of collapse. Additionally, the Palestine Red Crescent reported 13 injuries due to an interceptor missile strike in Tulkarem, West Bank.

The health ministry in Lebanon announced that Israeli airstrikes on central Beirut killed at least 29 people and wounded 67. New strikes on Sunday targeted Hezbollah-controlled areas in Dahiyeh, heavily impacting civilians and infrastructure. The ongoing conflict has resulted in the death of over 3,700 people in Lebanon and displaced approximately 1.2 million citizens, about a quarter of the country's population. On the Israeli side, 90 soldiers and nearly 50 civilians have perished, with about 60,000 Israelis displaced from the northern regions of the country.

The European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has called for increased pressure on Israel and Hezbollah to agree on a cease-fire. He noted that an agreement seemed close pending Israeli government approval. Borrell mentioned that the EU is preparing to allocate 200 million euros to support the Lebanese military. However, Borrell expressed skepticism about Israel's commitment, highlighting Israel's resistance to including France in the cease-fire oversight committee.

The proposed cease-fire would involve the withdrawal of Hezbollah and Israeli forces from southern Lebanon below the Litani River, in line with a United Nations Security Council resolution from 2006. Lebanese troops, accompanied by U.N. peacekeepers, would patrol the region. However, progress on reaching a new cease-fire remains fraught with complications.