Hezbollah launched a large-scale assault on northern Israel Wednesday evening, firing rockets and deploying drones for several hours and forcing hundreds of thousands of Israelis into bomb shelters. The attack marked the most intense barrage by the Lebanese terror group since fighting escalated earlier this month amid the ongoing war between Israel, the United States, and Iran.
According to Israeli military assessments, the opening wave began shortly after 8 p.m., when Hezbollah fired roughly 100 rockets toward northern Israel. At the same time, Iran launched a ballistic missile toward central Israel, which the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps later described as part of a coordinated offensive. Additional Iranian missiles were subsequently fired toward both northern and southern parts of the country.
Footage shows Hezbollah's large rocket barrage on northern Israel this evening. Around 100 rockets were fired, according to IDF assessments. pic.twitter.com/8wuG6J8kgg
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Israel’s air defense systems intercepted the Iranian missiles and also engaged many of the rockets fired from Lebanon. Still, several impacts were reported in northern communities, sparking fires and causing minor injuries.
Magen David Adom said two people were hurt during the attack. A 35-year-old woman and a man in his 50s were struck by “flying objects” after a rocket impact and were transported to a hospital for treatment.
Rescue officials said one of the victims was wounded when a rocket struck a home in the northern town of Bi’ina. Emergency crews also treated four additional individuals at the scene who were suffering from severe anxiety following the strike.
الضاحية#ملحق pic.twitter.com/1LA6sfqneK
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As sirens sounded across northern Israel, including throughout the Galilee and in the Haifa region, the Israel Defense Forces instructed residents to remain near protected areas. Hezbollah continued launching rockets and drones toward Israeli territory, with alerts triggered in communities as far as 50 kilometers from the Lebanese border.
The military estimated that at least 150 rockets were fired at northern Israel over several hours during the barrage.
Some long-range rockets landed in open areas. Because those projectiles were not headed toward populated locations, warning sirens were not activated in those cases. Nevertheless, residents in central Israel reported hearing explosions during the attacks.
لحظة الغارات على الضاحيه الجنوبية لبيروت pic.twitter.com/WZCiZHot23
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The fighting continued into the early hours of Thursday. Alerts warning of possible drone infiltration were activated in Nahariya and other communities in the Western Galilee. Hezbollah also launched additional long-range rockets that triggered sirens in Tel Aviv and nearby towns.
During the same period, the IDF reported detecting an Iranian ballistic missile that activated warning systems in central Israel, the Jerusalem area, and parts of the south.
In response to the attacks, Israeli forces carried out major airstrikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, including positions in the group’s stronghold in southern Beirut. An Israeli official said the military may begin striking Lebanese civilian infrastructure if the government in Beirut fails to restrain the Iran-backed terror group.
The IDF had previously warned that Hezbollah could escalate its rocket and drone attacks as the broader conflict intensified.
Media reports indicated that Israel had been preparing for a possible expansion of attacks from both Iran and Hezbollah. According to Channel 12, Israeli cabinet ministers were informed earlier Wednesday that officials expected heavy missile and rocket fire later in the day.
Hezbollah said its initial rocket barrage was launched from multiple locations across Lebanon. In a statement, the group declared that “in response to the criminal aggression against dozens of Lebanese cities and towns and Beirut’s southern suburbs,” its fighters targeted sites in northern Israel “with dozens of rockets” as part of a new military operation announced shortly beforehand.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also described the assault as a joint effort with Hezbollah. In a statement carried by the Tasnim news agency, the IRGC said the attack on Israel was a “joint and integrated operation.”
According to the statement, Iran launched several ballistic missiles while Hezbollah simultaneously fired rockets and drones at more than 50 targets inside Israel.
Earlier in the conflict, the IDF had said it did not have intelligence suggesting that simultaneous attacks by Iran and Hezbollah were coordinated.
Following the barrage, the Israeli Air Force carried out what the military described as an “extensive” wave of strikes targeting Hezbollah rocket launchers and infrastructure in Lebanon.
Israeli officials said the strikes were intended to prevent additional rocket fire toward Israeli territory.
Before launching strikes on Beirut, the IDF issued evacuation warnings to residents of the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital for the third time that day.
“Do not return to the southern suburb until further notice,” said army spokesman Col. Avichay Adaree.
Journalists in Beirut reported hearing explosions across the city, and footage showed large blasts sending smoke billowing over the southern districts. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported at least “six heavy strikes” in the area.
Earlier in the war with Iran, the IDF said it had already targeted more than 70 Hezbollah sites in southern Beirut, including the demolition of 50 multi-story buildings used by the terror group.
Israeli officials warned that the situation could soon expand into a broader conflict in Lebanon.
A senior security official told Hebrew media outlets that the fighting may be approaching a critical stage. “We are on the eve of a fateful campaign in Lebanon which will determine the future of both countries.”
“There is a security discussion right now,” the official said. “The campaign in Lebanon is going to expand significantly.”
According to the official, the escalation could involve mobilizing additional reservists.
“Hezbollah, in its calculations, wants to turn our attention away from Iran, and thinks that if it draws us in, we will take our foot off the gas in the campaign against Iran,” the official said. Hezbollah, the official continued, “wants to create a new balance in which Israel’s enforcement policy in Lebanon ends, and we don’t attack at all. That won’t happen. Therefore, this is heading toward a serious escalation.”
“We have more capabilities and tools, and we can conduct campaigns in parallel against Iran and against Lebanon,” the official added.
The official also told Ynet that Lebanon’s government has not taken steps to curb Hezbollah’s activity.
According to Channel 12, Israel conveyed a warning to Beirut through the United States and other Western governments that if Lebanon does not restrain Hezbollah, Israel could begin striking national infrastructure across the country.
{Matzav.com}
