Haifa / Beirut — The Middle East crossed a terrifying new threshold tonight as Hezbollah, Iran’s most powerful regional ally, unleashed a massive rocket and missile barrage on northern Israel, sending explosions ripping through Haifa and dragging Lebanon fully into the spiralling war.

Sirens screamed across Haifa, Nahariya, Acre and dozens of border communities as radar screens lit up with hundreds of inbound projectiles. Iron Dome and David’s Sling batteries fired at full capacity, but salvos of heavy rockets and precision‑guided missiles saturated the skies. Several rounds slammed into industrial zones near Haifa’s port, igniting fuel tanks and warehouses, while others struck residential areas, shattering windows and forcing families into underground shelters.

In Beirut’s southern suburbs, Hezbollah’s stronghold erupted in celebration. Leader Hassan Nasrallah, flanked by commanders and standing before maps of northern Israel, declared that “the era of limited confrontation is over,” vowing to fight “shoulder to shoulder with the Islamic Republic until the occupiers and their American backers are broken.” The group claims to have targeted military bases, radar sites and critical infrastructure, warning that “this is only the first phase.”

Israel has ordered tens of thousands of residents near the Lebanese border to evacuate as the IDF pounds launch sites, command centers and suspected weapons depots across southern Lebanon. Analysts warn that with Hezbollah — far more heavily armed and battle‑tested than other Iranian proxies — now openly at war, the conflict has morphed from a dangerous crisis into a potential multi‑front catastrophe stretching from Gaza to Tehran and deep into the Levant.