Multiple barrages totaling over 150 rockets, including about 70 directed at the area of Meron, were fired at various locations across northern Israel on Wednesday morning, Israel’s Army Radio reported.
Hezbollah later claimed responsibility for the attacks, stating they had come in response to Israel’s alleged elimination of Taleb Abdallah, the senior-most Hezbollah commander to be killed since the start of Israel’s war with Hamas in October of last year.
The cities of Safed and Tiberias were among those where rocket sirens blared.
“Following the sirens that sounded in northern Israel a short while ago, approximately 90 projectiles were identified crossing from Lebanon,” the IDF stated. “A number of the projectiles were intercepted and others fell in several locations in northern Israel. As a result, fires broke out in a number of areas. The details are under review.”
Israel’s Fire and Rescue Service reported that it was at the scene of a fire in an open area and was working to put it out.
Additionally, Magen David Adom announced that it had not received any reports of casualties thus far.
Social media users, including former Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy, took to X, formerly Twitter, to post footage appearing to show rocket interceptions above northern Israel.
Northern Israel is under massive attack from Iranian proxy Hezbollah. Each of these puffs in the sky is an intercepted rocket. pic.twitter.com/H46odBedI2
— Eylon Levy (@EylonALevy) June 12, 2024
North ‘under massive attack’ from Hezbollah
“Northern Israel is under massive attack from Iranian proxy Hezbollah,” Levy wrote.
A correspondent for the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Mayadeen reported that the rocket launching took place over the span of about thirty minutes.
Roughly an hour after the bombardment, rocket sirens again blared in numerous towns in the North.
Army Radio subsequently reported that in response to the attacks on northern Israel, the IDF conducted a wave of airstrikes in southern Lebanon.
In a statement, the IDF said that after about 70 projectiles had been identified crossing over from Lebanon, an IAF aircraft had struck the launcher that had fired toward Israel at 10:00 a.m. local time. The 10:00 a.m. launches made up the second large volley of the day.
IAF aircraft strikes the launcher that fired toward northern Israel at 10:00 Wednesday morning in the area of Yaroun. June 12, 2024. (Credit: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit)
The IAF strike reportedly occurred in the area of Yaroun, in southern Lebanon.
According to the military, the majority of the rocket launches from Lebanon fell in open areas. Some others were intercepted, and several fell in other locations in the North.
Al Mayadeen reported that a number of Israeli military sites, including the Mount Meron air traffic control base, were targeted during the attacks.
In its statement, Hezbollah also noted that the air traffic control base was among its targets. The IDF, however, has yet to confirm the claim.
An hour after the second rocket volley, rocket alarms sounded in the northern Israeli town of Zar’it. The Hezbollah-affiliated news organization reported that an Israeli military site in the area had been targeted.
In response to the fires that had started as a result of rocket falls, Israeli media later reported that 21 fire and rescue teams, along with 8 planes from the “Elad” firefighting squadron, were working to combat the blazes.
Again, nearly an hour after the attacks on Zar’it, hostile aircraft intrusion sirens sounded in the North.
This is a developing story.
