Two wounded in Hezbollah missile attack, as northern border heats up
Civilians hurt in Dovev; missiles cause damage in several towns; drone alarm sounds in some towns as interceptor missile explodes over Safed; IDF strikes Hezbollah sites in response
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Two Israeli civilians were wounded Thursday in an anti-tank missile attack from Lebanon on the northern town of Dovev, which occurred at the same time as another missile appeared to hit cars in the nearby community of Avivim.
The two, a man and a woman, were brought to Ziv Medical Center in Safed with light injuries, according to an initial assessment, the hospital said.
Both are civilians, though the border area has been largely evacuated.
Moments after the attack on Avivim and Dovev, a Home Front Command alert warned residents of other towns in the Upper Galilee of a suspected enemy drone infiltration.
A video showed what appears to be an interceptor missile exploding in the sky over the northern city of Safed, after the drone infiltration alert sounded in communities closer to the Lebanese border.
Shortly after the blast, authorities gave the all-clear on the drone alarm.
Ziv Hospital in Safed says two lightly wounded civilians have been admitted to the medical center after apparently being wounded in an anti-tank missile attack from Lebanon against the northern community of Dovev. Another missile hit Avivim, setting cars on fire. pic.twitter.com/Zy77hZra9n
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) December 21, 2023
There was no immediate confirmation from the military on a UAV being shot down.
Later, two anti-tank missile were reported to have directly hit a home in Ramot Naftali, causing no injuries. A separate direct rocket hit was reported in Metula, also not causing casualties.
שני טילי נ"ט פגעו פגיעה ישירה בבית ברמות נפתלי; אין נפגעים pic.twitter.com/xD93ZvOsGG
— מעריב אונליין (@MaarivOnline) December 21, 2023
On Thursday afternoon, the IDF said it had carried out a new wave of airstrikes against Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon following the attacks on northern Israel.
It said the sites hit by fighter jets included rocket launch sites, military buildings, and other infrastructure belonging to the terror group. Another site belonging to Hezbollah was targeted by aircraft, tanks, and artillery.
Additionally, the IDF said it shelled several areas along the border with artillery, presumably to prevent Hezbollah from carrying out attacks.
Several more rockets were fired from Lebanon at Arab al-Aramshe, but failed to cross the border, according to the IDF. It added that an aircraft struck the cell behind the launches.
Regarding the drone infiltration alarm that sounded earlier in the day, the IDF said it had identified a number of “aerial targets” that entered Israeli airspace from Lebanon.
It said an interceptor missile was fired during the incident, and “the event is over,” without elaborating further.
Earlier Thursday, the IDF said it carried out strikes against Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon in response to rocket fire on northern Israel a day earlier.
An interception is seen over Safed in northern Israel, after a suspected drone infiltration alarm sounded in towns near the Lebanon border. pic.twitter.com/eKtWMU9LDR
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) December 21, 2023
It said the sites hit included infrastructure belonging to the terror group and the rocket launcher used in the attack.
Several rockets were fired by Hezbollah at the northern city of Kiryat Shmona late Wednesday, causing damage but no injuries. The Kiryat Shmona Municipality said the salvo included at least eight rockets, two of which landed in the city, causing damage to infrastructure, homes, a preschool and cars.
The Hezbollah rocket attack came after Israeli warplanes conducted airstrikes deep inside Lebanon late Wednesday evening, hitting a forested area near the town of Bouslaya, more than 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the border, Lebanese state media reported.
An IDF announcement said fighter jets struck a Hezbollah command center in southern Lebanon in response to the repeated attacks on the border.
Israel has increasingly warned that if the international community does not push Hezbollah forces away from its border through diplomatic means, it will take action. In recent days, officials from the US and France visiting the region have sought to head off an escalation on the Lebanese front.
Israel has said it will no longer tolerate the presence of Hezbollah along the northern frontier after Hamas’s October 7 massacre, in which thousands of terrorists burst into Israel from Gaza, killing some 1,200 people and kidnapping over 240, mostly civilians.
Since that date, 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 on the border have resulted in four civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the deaths of seven IDF soldiers. There have also been a number of rocket attacks from Syria, without any injuries.
On the Lebanese side, more than 130 have been killed, according to an AFP tally. The toll includes at least 118 Hezbollah members — some of whom were killed in Syria — 16 Palestinian terror operatives, a Lebanese soldier, and at least 17 civilians, three of whom were journalists.
