Hezbollah barrages strike deep in north Israel; IDF hits over 400 launchers in Lebanon
Man lightly hurt by shrapnel in terror group’s southernmost rocket fire into Israel since October; Home Front Command issues new guidelines for residents of Haifa and northward
Hezbollah fired 24 rockets at the Jezreel Valley early Sunday morning, marking the terror group’s deepest rocket fire into Israel since the beginning of the war in October, after Israel Defense Forces jets carried out a series of strikes in southern Lebanon throughout Saturday afternoon and evening.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, all 24 rockets Hezbollah were intercepted by air defenses.
Large pieces of shrapnel fell in the Jezreel Valley following the interceptions, causing damage to a barn in one area and slightly wounding a man in another.
The IDF said there were no direct rocket impacts in the attacks, which were claimed by Hezbollah.
The first barrage at around 1 a.m. comprised seven rockets, a bigger barrage of 12 rockets came shortly before 5 a.m., and a third, five-rocket barrage came after 5 a.m., according to the IDF.
One man in his 60s was very lightly injured by shrapnel following an interception, according to medics.
Hezbollah took responsibility for the barrage, claiming to have targeted the Israeli Air Force’s Ramat David Airbase, located some 50 kilometers from the Lebanon border, with dozens of rockets.
On Saturday, the IDF carried out a wave of airstrikes against some 400 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, including rocket launchers, IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Saturday evening in a press conference, with the army saying it had identified preparations by the terror group to launch major rocket attacks against Israel.
The military said that its large waves of airstrikes likely foiled the majority of Hezbollah’s planned rocket launches.
In all, thousands of rocket launcher barrels were hit in the strikes, the IDF said, while vowing to continue striking Hezbollah to “dismantle and degrade” the terror group’s capabilities.
At the same time, officials issued new restrictions on residents of the Haifa area and northward as the country braced for the possibility of an imminent large-scale assault by the Lebanese terror group after it suffered heavy blows in multiple attacks in recent days.
Relentless Israeli attacks on different towns and villages in south Lebanon. pic.twitter.com/VfW70406xC
— Ali Hashem علي هاشم (@alihashem_tv) September 21, 2024
Amid the fighting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant held security consultations with ministers and top defense officials on Saturday night.
According to the new instructions for northern residents issued by the Home Front Command, work and educational activity will only be able to take place where an adequate shelter is nearby and can be reached in time.
In addition, gatherings are limited to up to 30 people outdoors and 300 people indoors.
Speaking before the rocket fire on the Jezreel Valley, Hagari said there may be additional changes to the guidelines depending on developments, and warned that rockets could be launched at Israel in the coming hours.
الاحتلال يشن غارات عنيفة مستمرة تستهدف عدة مناطق جنوب لبنان. pic.twitter.com/Fy2gcRkgMF
— فلسطين بوست (@PalpostN) September 21, 2024
“If there are any further changes, overnight or tomorrow, we will update immediately. It is possible that in the immediate time frame, rockets and other threats may be launched at Israel. We ask you to follow the Home Front Command guidelines,” he said.
Some 100 rockets were launched from Lebanon at northern Israel on Saturday, according to the IDF. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the attacks.
No injuries were reported as a result of any of the rockets, but police said they received reports of rocket impacts that caused damage and sparked fires.
The first barrage at around 2 p.m., toward Safed and Kiryat Shmona, included some 25 rockets. Over the following hour, a barrage of 10 rockets was fired at the Arab al-Aramshe area, and another 25 were launched toward the Golan Heights.
Shortly after 3 p.m., a barrage of 10 rockets was fired at the Upper Galilee, and at 3:19 p.m., another 20 rockets were launched at the same area, according to the military.
Video posted to social media appeared to show several missile interceptions.
כ-25 רקטות נורו מלבנון, שריפות פרצו בשלושה מוקדים, דווח על נפילות | תיעוד יירוטים בצפת@ItayBlumental @CBeyar
(צילום: יובל אפריאט) pic.twitter.com/rPBoXNhyVp— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) September 21, 2024
Israeli Air Force chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar said the IAF was on the highest level of alert.
“We are continuing to maintain the highest possible level of readiness in the Air Force,” Bar said during a meeting with IAF commanders. “We’ve placed all the Air Force’s capabilities… on the table. Everything is ready. Now, in accordance with the developments, we are enacting the plans that are most suitable,” he added.
On Saturday morning, Israel’s aviation authority issued a NOTAM, or “notice to airmen,” closing the airspace from the coastal city of Hadera and northward. The notice is valid for 24 hours and largely affects recreational and agricultural flights. It does not apply to emergency fights by the military, police, firefighters, medical evacuations or flights servicing oil rigs.
Ben Gurion Airport was unaffected by the notice. Commercial flights generally do not fly north of Hadera to reach the airport near Tel Aviv.
Meanwhile, the head of the IDF’s Northern Command, Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin, held an assessment with senior officers in northern Israel, which the military said was “part of the broadening of the fighting” against Hezbollah.
The military said Gordin met with the commanders of the 300th “Baram” and 769th “Hiram” regional brigades, and the commanders of other brigades and units deployed to northern Israel.
“In recent days, the commanders of the divisions and brigades under the Northern Command carried out situation assessments and additional tours in the region, as part of preparations for the widening of the fighting in the area,” the IDF added.
The fighting on Saturday came after Israel on Friday assassinated top Hezbollah commanders Ibrahim Aqil and Ahmed Wahbi, along with other top members of the group, in an airstrike on a residential building in Beirut, where the terror group leaders had gathered for a meeting in an underground room.
Aqil was head of Hezbollah’s military operations, acting commander of its elite Radwan Force, and head of a long-gestating plan to invade the Galilee, while Wahbi, a former commander of the Radwan Force, was head of the terror group’s training unit.
The devastating strike was a further blow to the Iranian proxy and brought the sides closer to a full-scale war, after 11 months of near-daily Hezbollah attacks on northern Israel.
It also came days after thousands of Hezbollah members’ personal electronics — first pagers, then later walkie-talkies — exploded, killing dozens and wounding thousands, in an attack for which Israel was widely blamed.
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 22 IDF soldiers and reservists. There have also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries.
Hezbollah has named 502 members who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon but some also in Syria. Another 79 operatives from other terror groups, a Lebanese soldier, and dozens of civilians have also been killed.
