Hezbollah said it had fired a ballistic missile targeting Israeli spy agency Mossad’s headquarters near Tel Aviv, saying that recent attacks on the militant group had been planned there, AFP reports.

It is the first time the group has claimed a ballistic missile strike since its nearly year-long battle with Israel began after Hamas carried out its October 7 attack.

Earlier, Israel’s military had said it intercepted a missile fired from Lebanon after sirens sounded in Tel Aviv.

“The Islamic Resistance launched a ‘Qader 1’ ballistic missile at 6:30am (0330 GMT) on Wednesday, 25-9-2024, targeting the Mossad headquarters in the outskirts of Tel Aviv,” Hezbollah said in a statement.

“This headquarters is responsible for the assassination of leaders and the explosion of pagers and wireless devices,” it added, referring to attacks last week that killed scores in Lebanon including a top commander.

It also said the strike was carried out in support of the people of Gaza and “in defence of Lebanon and its people”.