Lebanon's Hezbollah movement fired heavy rocket barrages at Israel on Sunday, and the Israeli military said houses had been destroyed or set alight near Tel Aviv, after a powerful Israeli airstrike killed at least 29 people in Beirut the day before.

Dozens of people have been killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon this weekend, including 29 who died after an attack flattened a multi-story residential building in central Beirut, according to Lebanese officials.

The exchange of fire underscores a pattern of escalation between Hezbollah and Israel, with Hezbollah explicitly stating that its rocket attacks were a direct response to the Israeli strikes on Beirut. They claimed to have targeted specific military installations in Tel Aviv, although the Israeli military refused to confirm or deny the claims.

Israel's military says around 250 rockets have been fired by Hezbollah across the border from Lebanon, marking one of the heaviest bombardments of Israel since fighting intensified in September. Several people were injured and buildings damaged in northern and central Israel, some of them near Tel Aviv, Israel's police said.

Israel fired upon Lebanon Thursday shortly after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold. BEIRUT, Lebanon — Israel on Thursday carried out its first airstrike on Lebanon since a truce with Hezbollah announced this week,

The Israeli military said its air force struck a facility used by Hezbollah to store mid-range rockets in southern Lebanon on Thursday, after both sides accused each other of breaching a ceasefire that aims to halt over a year of fighting.