Lebanon’s Hezbollah group fired a powerful volley of rockets on Tuesday night at the northern Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona in response to an Israel Defence Forces (IDF) airstrike in southern Lebanon earlier in the day.
According to Israeli media, around 30 rockets were fired, with at least 10 of them successfully intercepted by the Iron Dome air defence system. One missile hit the courtyard of a house in the neighbouring community of Kfar Blum, while the remaining missiles landed in an open area. No injuries have been reported.
Sirens sounded in Kiryat Shmona and several neighbouring communities, with a state of emergency declared.
Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the shelling, stating that it was in retaliation for an IDF strike at the village of Houla in southern Lebanon.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told US special envoy to the region, Amos Hochstein, earlier on Tuesday that Hezbollah’s continued attacks on Israel were bringing the country closer to a decision on military action in Lebanon.
We are committed to the diplomatic process. However, Hezbollah’s aggression is bringing us closer to a critical point in the decision-making regarding our military activities in Lebanon.
Since 8 October, Hezbollah forces have been attacking Israeli communities and military posts along the northern border with rockets, missiles and drones in support of the Gaza Strip. So far, clashes along the border have killed seven civilians on the Israeli side, as well as 10 IDF soldiers and reservists, according to Israeli media.
