Israel unleashed more airstrikes on Lebanon and Hezbollah fighters fired salvoes of rockets into Israel in the heaviest exchanges between the arch-foes in a year, Reuters reports.

Hezbollah claimed to have targeted the headquarters of the Mossad spy agency in Tel Aviv, Israel’s economic capital.

Israel said its warplanes were carrying out extensive strikes in south Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley.

Hezbollah said in a statement it had fired a missile targeting the Mossad headquarters “in support of our steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip…and in defence of Lebanon and its people”.

The Israeli military said a single surface-to-surface missile was intercepted by air defence systems after it was detected crossing from Lebanon. Spokesman Nadav Shoshani said he could not confirm what Hezbollah’s target was when it fired the missile from a village in Lebanon.

“The result was a heavy missile, going towards Tel Aviv, towards civilian areas in Tel Aviv. The Mossad headquarters is not in that area,” he said.