Shattered windows and smoking rubble: The aftermath of strikes in Israel and Lebanon

Iran launched nearly 200 missiles on Israel on Tuesday night in what it said was in retaliation to strikes by the Israeli military against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Sky News correspondents are reporting from both sides on the conflict. On Wednesday, Middle East correspondent Alistair Bunkall visited a school in the town of Gedera, just south of Tel Aviv, which took a direct hit from at least one Iranian ballistic missile.

Meanwhile, international correspondent John Sparks was taken to several bomb sites in the district of Dahieh in Beirut, Lebanon, an area that has been pounded by the Israelis over the past 10 days.

Middle East latest: Eight IDF soldiers killed in Lebanon fighting

This is what they saw.

A school yard covered with broken glass and piles of rubble – Alistair Bunkall

When we visited an Israeli school in the town of Gedera, on Wednesday morning, a large crater caused by at least one of the Iranian ballistic missiles the previous night had already been filled in.

But windows were shattered and classroom walls had been blown out by the blast. The school yard was covered with broken glass and piles of rubble.

People were at the site cleaning up, and the headmistress inspected the damage to her school.

The school is surrounded by apartment blocks, and on the outskirts of the town is an Israeli air base.

People we spoke to thanked God for protecting them.

Israel‘s sophisticated alert and missile defence systems ultimately kept casualties low – only one person was killed, a Palestinian in the West Bank, and three Israelis lightly injured.

Videos on social media suggest a nearby air base took a direct hit. The Israeli military has hinted at damage but said its bases are still operational. It could be that the Iranian missiles had been aimed at that air base but missed and hit the school instead.

No one was on campus when the attack took place, which meant there were no casualties.

In April, when Iran first attacked, many of the missiles were said to be dummies, Tehran gave regional countries forewarning of the attack and they launched slow flying drones in a first wave, allowing Israel’s allies to prepare.

Last night, there was little warning and Iran only fired ballistic missiles – they have a travelling time of only 12 minutes and carry a large payload.

Israel has vowed to respond, and few doubt they will.

The US, which has had little influence on Israel over the past year, will be urging a calm and calibrated response, but Benjamin Netanyahu sees a chance to change the balance of power in the Middle East and might be tempted to go big.

Israel’s enemies though, are also fighting for their very survival.

Everyone is bracing for the next escalation.

Acrid smoke bellowed from the ruins – John Sparks

In a fast-expanding war of many separate fronts, the district of Dahieh in the city of Beirut, looks and feels extreme.

We were brought here by the black-clad members of Hezbollah’s security team and we watched them move in and out of our convoy on their mopeds.

It was a rare opportunity to see one of the most densely populated parts of the city – an area that has been pounded by the Israelis over the past 10 days.

A pile of rubble awaited us on our first stop, the remains of the offices of a religious television station called Al Sirat we were told.

The mound had been decorated with flags and portraits of Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s former secretary-general, who was assassinated in a bunker by the Israelis 10 days ago.

But the true purpose of our visit soon became clear. This spot, like two other bomb sites we were taken to, were ordinary civilian neighbourhoods said our minders, not the weapon stores – or factories – that Israel claims.

A Hezbollah-affiliated reporter, holding a mangled-looking camera lens, came over to make the point.

“Look, this has got nothing to do with politics. The Israelis said there was a weapons pile here but look around you. This is the remnants of a television camera,” said Hosein Mortada, pointing at the lump of metal in his hand.

Israel says its operations are “targeted and precise”, but no one believes that here. Equally unusual was an opportunity to speak to local residents in Dahieh.

“I live in an area nearby, where they don’t have members of Hezbollah but they’ve still destroyed it,” said a man on a moped called Ahmed.

“Every day, they put out threats that they are going to bomb this and that – calling them ‘bases for Hezbollah’. We return after the bombing and we don’t find a single bullet from Hezbollah.”

“Are people still living there?” I asked.

“Of course they do,” he replied, adding: “Just look around you, where are we going to go?”

I understood the point Ahmed was making – Dahieh and surrounds are inhabited by some of the poorest in the city. The decision by residents to leave their homes would – for many – result in homelessness.

The decision then between a mat on the seafront – or the anxiety of remaining at home.

The last site we were taken to was great smouldering ruin that had been hit by multiple airstrikes some 12 hours before.

Acrid smoke – and the smell of high explosive – bellowed from the ruins of several apartment blocks.

Again, we were told that it was a peaceful neighbourhood, not a Hezbollah weapons store, and several men mounted a concrete pile to give voice to the anger within.

“I stand with you Hassan Nasrallah,” they shouted, until members of the security team ordered them to desist.

Within minutes we were ordered to leave, the security team telling us to go, “for our own safety”. Our window had closed, Dahieh was off-limits again and its people rushing for the shadows.

This article was originally published by Sky.com. Read the original article here.

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