Hezbollah has pounded northern Israel with 140 rockets, a day after the militant group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah vowed to retaliate against the country for a mass bombing attack.
Israel’s military said the rockets came in three waves on Friday afternoon targeting sites along the ravaged border with Lebanon.
Hezbollah said it had targeted several sites along the border with Katyusha rockets, including multiple air defence bases as well as the headquarters of an Israeli armoured brigade they said they had struck for the first time.
The Israeli military said 120 missiles were launched at areas of the Golan Heights, Safed and the Upper Galilee, some of which were intercepted. Fire crews were working to extinguish blazes caused by pieces of debris that fell to the ground in several areas.
Another 20 missiles were shot at the areas of Meron and Netua, and most fell in open areas, the military said, adding no injuries were reported.
Hezbollah said the rockets were in retaliation for Israeli strikes on villages and homes in southern Lebanon.
Israel said previously that it struck hundreds of rocket launchers and other Hezbollah infrastructure on Thursday night.
With the direction of IDF intelligence, the IAF struck approximately 30 Hezbollah launchers and terrorist infrastructure sites, containing approximately 150 launcher barrels that were ready to fire projectiles toward Israeli territory.
Additionally, the IDF struck Hezbollah… https://t.co/uqezvGXdZh— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 19, 2024
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A statement from the Israel Defence Forces on X said: “With the direction of IDF intelligence, the IAF struck approximately 30 Hezbollah launchers and terrorist infrastructure sites, containing approximately 150 launcher barrels that were ready to fire projectiles toward Israeli territory.
“Additionally, the IDF struck Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure and a weapons storage facility in multiple areas in southern Lebanon.”
At the same time, the army ordered residents in parts of the Golan Heights and northern Israel to avoid public gatherings, minimise movements and stay close to shelters in anticipation of possible rocket fire.
Hezbollah struck at least four times in northern Israel on Thursday and two Israeli soldiers were killed in a strike earlier in the day.
Their attacks came while the leader of Hezbollah vowed to keep up daily strikes on Israel despite this week’s deadly sabotage of its members’ communication devices.
Mr Nasrallah said Israelis displaced from homes near the Lebanon border because of the fighting would not be able to return until the war in Gaza ends.
The attack on electronic devices appeared to be the culmination of a months-long operation by Israel to target as many Hezbollah members as possible all at once — but civilians were also hit.
At least 37 people were killed, including two children, and some 3,000 wounded in the explosions Tuesday and Wednesday.
Mr Nasrallah said the group is investigating how the bombings were carried out.
“Yes, we were subjected to a huge and severe blow,” he said. “The enemy crossed all boundaries and red lines.
“The enemy will face a severe and fair punishment from where they expect and don’t expect.”
He said Hezbollah will continue its barrages into northern Israel as long as the war in Gaza continues, vowing that Israel will not be able to bring its people back to the border region.
“The only way is stop the aggression on the people of Gaza and the West Bank,” he said. “Neither strikes nor assassinations nor an all-out war will achieve that.”
Earlier on Thursday, Hezbollah said it had targeted three Israeli military positions near the border, two of them with drones. Israeli hospitals reported eight people lightly or moderately injured.
Hezbollah says its near-daily fire is a show of support for Hamas. Israel’s 11-month-old war with Hamas in Gaza began after its militants led the October 7 attack on Israel.
In Gaza, Palestinian authorities said 15 people were killed overnight in multiple Israeli attacks.
An airstrike early on Friday morning in Gaza City hit a family home, killing six people including an unknown number of children, Gaza’s Civil Defence said. Another person was killed in Gaza City when a strike hit a group of people in a street.
