Hezbollah and Israel exchange heavy fire amid fear of widening conflict

'If Hezbollah has not understood the message, I promise you, it will understand the message,' said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Emergency workers clear the rubble at the site of Friday's Israeli strike in Beirut's southern suburb, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Israel and Hezbollah exchanged heavy fire into Sunday, with Israeli warplanes carrying out the most intense bombardment in almost a year of conflict across Lebanon's south and Hezbollah firing rockets deep into northern Israel.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said strikes would continue until it was safe for evacuated people in the north to return - setting the stage for a long conflict as Hezbollah has vowed to fight on until a ceasefire in the parallel Gaza war.