Around 1:10 a.m. on Sunday morning, sirens began blaring, warning over 70 northern Israeli communities of an imminent rocket attack.
Included among the locations were Yokne’am, Nazareth, Afula, various towns in the Lower Galilee, Jezreel Valley, and the Carmel region.
Early reports indicated that Hezbollah had launched its Fajr-5 missile for the first time since 2006. One person was reported injured. Fortunately, Israel’s missile defense systems successfully intercepted most of the rockets.
Hezbollah took credit for the rocket assault, stating, “We fired rockets at the air force base in Ramat David in response to the Israeli attacks.”
Meanwhile, power outages were reported in Afula and nearby areas.
The IDF released a statement: “Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in the Jezreel Valley area, approximately 10 projectiles were identified crossing from Lebanon into Israeli territory. Most of the projectiles were intercepted and a fallen projectile was identified in the area. The incident is under review.”
Magen David Adom reported that a 60-year-old man sustained very minor injuries from a rocket fragment that landed near a village in the Lower Galilee after being intercepted.
Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu is currently engaged in a security consultation with ministers and high-ranking defense officials. As a precaution, Israeli airspace from Hadera northwards will remain closed until Tuesday.
The Diplomatic-Security Cabinet is scheduled to convene at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday evening in Tel Aviv to address the situation and evaluate further actions.
At approximately 12:40 a.m. on Sunday morning, the IDF confirmed the conclusion of its most recent round of airstrikes in Lebanon.
“Since the afternoon, with the guidance of the IDF Intelligence Directorate, the IAF struck approximately 290 targets, including thousands of launcher barrels, alongside additional terrorist infrastructure in multiple areas in southern Lebanon,” the IDF’s statement explained.
“Over the past few hours, in an additional series of strikes, the IDF struck approximately 110 Hezbollah terrorist targets, including launchers and terrorist infrastructure in multiple areas in southern Lebanon.
“The IDF will continue operating to dismantle and degrade Hezbollah’s capabilities and terrorist infrastructure.”
{Matzav.com}