Barrage of 20 rockets pounds northern city of Kiryat Shmona and surroundings
IDF says no injuries from mostly intercepted volley; woman, 25, is seriously hurt falling through glass floor in shopping mall that was apparently damaged in an earlier attack
Some 20 rockets were launched from Lebanon at Israel late Monday, with the majority of them intercepted, the military said.
Incoming rocket sirens sounded at 11:30 p.m. in the northern communities of Kiryat Shmona, Margaliot, and Manara. Nine minutes later, alerts blared again in Kiryat Shmona as well as Metula and several other towns.
The Israel Defense Forces said there were no reports of injuries.
Some of the rockets landed in the largely evacuated city of Kiryat Shmona, including one that hit a shopping mall.
Hezbollah took responsibility for the barrage, saying it was in response to an Israeli strike on a Hezbollah weapons depot in Bint Jbeil that killed an operative and two Lebanese civilians.
In response to the rocket attack, the IDF said Tuesday morning that fighter jets struck Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon’s Houla, Kafr Kila, and Bani Haiyyan overnight.
Troops also shelled areas near Blida, Deir Mismas, and Rmeish with artillery to “remove threats,” the military added.
מטוסי קרב תקפו במהלך הלילה תשתיות טרור של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחבים חולא, כפר כילא ובני חיאן שבדרום לבנון.
כמו כן, צה"ל תקף בירי ארטילרי להסרת איום במרחבים בליידא, דיר מימס ורמיש pic.twitter.com/HsUAAPfZYD
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) July 16, 2024
Meanwhile, a 25-year-old woman was seriously injured on Monday when she fell through a section of glass floor at the Kanyon 8 shopping mall in Kiryat Shmona that had apparently been damaged by an earlier rocket or drone strike, Ynet reported. The woman fell five meters after the floor shattered. An initial probe found that the floor apparently had a crack in it.
She was taken by military helicopter to Rambam Medical Center in Haifa. The hospital said the woman was on a ventilator and would be transferred to the neurosurgery department.
The Kiryat Shmona municipality has urged any residents still in the city to remain close to shelters. Ten of thousands of northern residents have been evacuated to other areas due to ongoing Hezbollah attacks.
אחרי שלושת ההרוגים בינת ג'בייל – חיזבאללה משגר מטחים כבדים מאוד לעבר קריית שמונה והסביבה.. pic.twitter.com/MFLdQpLci9
— מה חדש. What's new❓ (@Gloz111) July 15, 2024
Hezbollah has traded almost daily fire with Israeli forces in support of Hamas since the Palestinian terror group’s October 7 onslaught against Israel triggered war in the Gaza Strip, stoking fears of a full-blown conflict in the north as well.
The Iran-backed terror group has also claimed responsibility for launching numerous rockets, saying it is in response to Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon as the IDF hits back at Hezbollah. The cycle of violence has spiked concerns that it could explode into a full-scale war.
So far, the skirmishes with Hezbollah have resulted in 12 civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the deaths of 17 IDF soldiers and reservists. There have also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries.
Hezbollah has named 367 members who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon but some also in Syria. In Lebanon, another 66 operatives from other terror groups, a Lebanese soldier, and dozens of civilians have been killed.
