1,307 rockets fired from Lebanon in August, more than any month since war started
Kiryat Shmona mayor laments destruction of city, says terrorists must be made afraid to fire at Israel; four drones fired, barrage of five rockets launched at north
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
More rockets were fired at Israel from Lebanon in August than in any previous month since war broke out almost a year ago, according to data published by the Shin Bet security agency Thursday.
The report said that 1,307 rockets were fired at Israel in August from the northern front, meaning Lebanon and Syria, amounting to just over 40 a day on average, with the vast majority coming from Lebanon.
July saw 1,091 rockets, June saw 855, May saw 1,000, April saw 744, March saw 746, February saw 534, and January saw 334, according to the Shin Bet.
Exact data was not immediately available for October, November, and December 2023, but the quantity was known to be smaller than in August.
By contrast, only 116 rockets were fired at Israel from Gaza in the last month, the report said.
The mayor of Kiryat Shmona lamented Thursday that his largely evacuated northern border town had been badly battered by rockets fired by terrorists from Lebanon, with many homes being destroyed.
“Unfortunately, every day we have to tell more families that they will not have a home to return to, there are houses that need to be demolished and rebuilt,” Avichai Stern told the Ynet news site.
He asked why the lives of northern residents were apparently of lower value than those who lived in the center of the country, apparently referring to the IDF’s preemptive strike last month as Hezbollah was preparing to launch an attack on the Tel Aviv area.
“We need to get to a point where [terrorists] are afraid to fire at Kiryat Shmona,” he said.
Tens of thousands of residents of northern border communities have been evacuated since the start of the war, displaced from their homes for close to a year. Many accuse the government of not taking enough action against Hezbollah to enable them to return home safely.
On Thursday, two suspected drones launched from Lebanon were shot down by air defenses, the Israel Defense Forces said, adding that the two targets were intercepted over Lebanese airspace, and did not cross into Israeli territory. Later on, another two suspected drones were launched from Lebanon at the Western Galilee. The IDF said at least one impacted near Ya’ara.
In the afternoon, a barrage of some five rockets were also launched from Lebanon at the Ramot Naftali area, and some of the rockets were intercepted by air defenses, the IDF said.
After more than 100 rockets and missiles were launched by Hezbollah at northern Israel on Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces conducted a series of airstrikes across southern Lebanon overnight.
Fighter jets struck more than 10 Hezbollah rocket launchers and other terror infrastructure, the IDF said, adding that the targets had “posed a threat to Israeli civilians.”
The strikes were carried out in southern Lebanon’s Jebbayn, Zawtar ash-Sharqiyah, and Ramyeh, according to the IDF.
Separately, the IDF said it had struck a Hezbollah site in southern Lebanon’s Qana in the afternoon.
حز.ب الله يعلن استش.هاد المق.اوم عباس أنيس أيوب (علي الرضا) مواليد عام 1988 من بلدة #سلعا في #جنوب_لبنان pic.twitter.com/ezZuGBaTFP
— جريدة الأخبار – Al-Akhbar (@AlakhbarNews) September 5, 2024
An Israeli strike in southern Lebanon’s Kafra was also reported Thursday morning in Lebanese media.
A short while later, Hezbollah announced the death of operative Abbas Anis Ayoub, killed “on the road to Jerusalem,” its term for members slain in Israeli strikes.
Since October 8, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there.
So far, the skirmishes have resulted in 26 civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the deaths of 20 IDF soldiers and reservists. There have also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries.
Hezbollah has named 433 members who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon but some also in Syria. Another 76 operatives from other terror groups, a Lebanese soldier, and dozens of civilians have also been killed.
