A barrage of 20 rockets hits the northern city of Kiryat Shmona and its surroundings
About 20 rockets were launched from Lebanon towards Israel on Monday evening, the majority of them intercepted, the army said.
The sirens sounded at 11:30 p.m. in the northern towns of Kiryat Shmona, Margaliot and Manara. Nine minutes later, the alerts sounded again in Kiryat Shmona, Metula and several other towns.
The Israel Defense Forces said no injuries were reported.
Some rockets landed in the largely evacuated city of Kiryat Shmona, including one that hit a shopping mall.
Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the strike, saying it was in response to an Israeli strike on a Hezbollah weapons depot in Bint Jbeil that killed a Hezbollah operative and two Lebanese civilians.
In response to the rocket attack, the Israeli military said Tuesday morning that warplanes struck Hezbollah sites in Houla, Kafr Kila and Bani Haiyyan in southern Lebanon.
Troops also shelled areas near Blida, Deir Mismas and Rmeish with artillery to “eliminate threats,” the army added.
A 25-year-old woman was seriously injured on Monday when she fell through a section of the glass floor of the Kanyon 8 mall in Kiryat Shmona, which had apparently been damaged by a previous rocket or drone strike, Ynet reported. The woman fell five meters after the floor shattered. An initial investigation revealed that the floor was apparently cracked.
The young woman was transported 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 ward.
The Kiryat Shmona municipality urged residents still in the city to stay close to shelters. Tens of thousands of northern residents have been evacuated to other areas due to continued Hezbollah attacks.
Hezbollah has exchanged almost daily fire with Israeli forces in support of Hamas since the Palestinian terror group’s October 7 attack on Israel sparked war in the Gaza Strip, fueling fears of a full-scale conflict in the north as well.
The Iran-backed terror group also claimed responsibility for launching many of the rockets, saying they were in response to Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon as the Israeli military retaliates against Hezbollah. The cycle of violence has raised fears it could escalate into a full-scale war.
So far, clashes with Hezbollah have left 12 Israeli civilians dead, as well as 17 IDF soldiers and reservists dead. Several attacks have also taken place from Syria, without causing any injuries.
Hezbollah cited 367 members killed by Israel in the ongoing clashes, mainly in Lebanon, but also in Syria. In Lebanon, 66 other members of other terrorist groups, a Lebanese soldier and dozens of civilians were killed.
News Source : www.timesofisrael.com
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