Israel Intensifies Assault on Beirut

Israel's military confirmed Saturday that an Iranian-made missile was responsible for the explosion Friday night on an Israeli navy ship participating in the sea blockade of Lebanon, about nine miles offshore.

There were reports Friday night that an unmanned drone packed with explosives caused the blast. But Israeli military officials said Saturday that Hezbollah fired a C802 anti-ship missile at the Israeli naval vessel, the Ahi Hanit. The ship -- a Saar 5-class missile boat, capable of carrying a crew of 65 sailors -- was returning Saturday under its own power to Haifa, Israeli military officials said. The body of one sailor was recovered. Three others were missing.

The radar-guided C802 missile has a range of roughly 70 miles, and Israeli military officials said the version used Friday was manufactured in Iran. Iran helped create Hezbollah during Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon and has long supported it with weapons and money. Iran and Syria remain Hezbollah's most important allies, although Iran's influence is considered ascendant.

"We can see now another clear fingerprint of Iranian involvement," said Brig. Gen. Ido Nehushtan, a member of Israel's general staff. "This is their equipment and know-how. They are very much involved in this."

Across Lebanon, thousands of residents plied the roads in search of safety, a relative term that seemed to change by the hour. Public schools in Beirut and the Chouf Mountains were filled with refugees from south Beirut and southern Lebanon.

In a country often vividly divided by sect, the Druze community in the Chouf opened its schools to Shiite inhabitants in regions near the Israeli border. At Barouk Middle School, local officials carried in loaves of bread and about 200 residents set up makeshift apartments in classrooms. Clothes were draped over school desks next to cheap carpets, and cardboard boxes were filled with beans, oil and peaches. Foam mattresses with tattered blankets were laid out beneath chalkboards.

Mohammed Hassan left the southern city of Sidon on Thursday, piling his family of 14 in a red 1980 Mercedes. "We were all piled on top of each other," he said.

His month-old daughter, Fatima, napped in a classroom. Other relatives strolled outside on a cloudy day.

"It's in God's hands now," Hassan said. "I don't know how this is going to end. Actually, no one does."

Correspondent Scott Wilson in Jerusalem and special correspondent Alia Ibrahim in Beirut contributed to this report.