100 rockets from Lebanon batter north; IDF reservist injured by anti-tank missile
Member of Kibbutz Dan security team suffers serious injuries in attack; Israeli drone strike kills Hezbollah member, wounds another; Air Force hits Hezbollah launch sites
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
An Israeli reservist soldier was wounded in a Hezbollah anti-tank guided missile attack from Lebanon on Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces said.
It came as barrages of around 100 rockets from Lebanon pounded areas in the north of the country.
The 39-year-old reservist, a member of Kibbutz Dan’s local security team, was taken to Rambam Hospital in Haifa after being hit by a missile in the community.
The medical center said he was conscious and suffering shrapnel injuries. He was taken for surgery and was listed in serious condition.
Meanwhile, more than 60 rockets were launched from Lebanon at northern Israel in the space of around an hour Wednesday afternoon. Then in the early evening, another 40 were fired.
A barrage of some 30 rockets was fired from Lebanon at the Western Galilee, impacting open areas near the community of Abirim, the IDF said. Then, another barrage of 30 rockets was fired from Lebanon at the Galilee Panhandle area, impacting open areas near Kfar Szold.
Residents of the upper and western Galilee were ordered to remain close to bomb shelters during the afternoon. There were no injuries in the rocket attacks, which apparently hit open areas.
In the second wave, the IDF said some 30 rockets were launched at the Arab al-Aramshe area, and another 10 were fired at Matat. Many of the rockets struck open areas, although some impacted Matat. There were no injuries in the attacks.
The IDF said it responded with artillery fire at a Hezbollah observation post and other targets in southern Lebanon.
Later, Israeli fighter jets struck Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon’s Khraibeh, as well as a rocket launcher in Ayta ash-Shab, and buildings used by the terror group in Houla, Ayta ash-Shab and Marwahin, the IDF said.
לפני זמן קצר, מטוסי קרב של חיל האוויר בהכוונת פיקוד הצפון, תקפו מספר תשתיות צבאיות של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחב אל-ח'ריבה שבדרום לבנון. בנוסף, הותקף משגר רקטות של הארגון במרחב עייתא א-שעב שבדרום לבנון>> pic.twitter.com/EbQfMCylX4
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) September 11, 2024
The rockets and missile attack came hours after the IDF confirmed carrying out a drone strike in southern Lebanon’s Mays al-Jabal, targeting two Hezbollah operatives.
One was killed and the second was wounded in the strike.
במהלך היום, חטיבת האש של אוגדה 91 זיהתה שני מחבלים של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחב מיס אל ג'בל שבדרום לבנון, בסגירת מעגל מהירה, כלי טיס של החיל האוויר תקף את המחבלים>> pic.twitter.com/00GVhZI3Tm
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) September 11, 2024
Separately, fighter jets struck a Hezbollah rocket launcher in Marimin, which had been used in previous attacks on Israel, the military said.
Another primed rocket launcher was struck in Rashaya al-Foukhar, the IDF added.
Lebanese media also reported two drone strikes in the area of Maroun al-Ras in southern Lebanon. There was no immediate comment from the IDF.
This week has seen repeated rounds of fire between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah amid escalating violence that has raised concerns it could boil over into a full-scale war.
Overnight Tuesday-Wednesday, Israeli jets hit 30 rocket launchers in Lebanon, the military said. It came the day after Hezbollah fired 45 rockets into northern Israel, though no injuries were caused.
Speaking to troops during a drill simulating a ground offensive in Lebanon, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Tuesday that Israel was shifting its focus to the northern front as it aims to soon achieve its objectives in the Gaza Strip.
The war in Gaza began when Palestinian terror group Hamas led a devastating October 7 cross-border attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians. The thousands of terrorists who burst into the country also abducted 251 people who were taken as hostages to Gaza.
Israel responded with a military offensive to destroy Hamas in Gaza and free the hostages.
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 436 members who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon but some also in Syria. Another 78 operatives from other terror groups, a Lebanese soldier and dozens of civilians have also been killed.
Tensions have been particularly high in recent weeks, with Hezbollah vowing retaliation for Israel’s assassination of its top military commander in Beirut in July. Israel said it foiled part of the terror group’s response to the killing last month, when IDF fighter jets struck thousands of Hezbollah rocket launcher barrels in southern Lebanon, including some believed to be aimed at Mossad headquarters.
