Local authorities restrict public access to the beach in Haifa as Israel launched air strikes on Lebanon, saying that it had thwarted a large-scale Hezbollah attack, while the Lebanese group announced its own cross-border raids to avenge a top commander's killing. "In the morning we got up, there were explosions in the area of Haifa.. we understand that the situation is escalating," explaines one Israeli woman. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES