Jerusalem, Sep 22 (IANS) Hezbollah forces in Lebanon fired approximately 115 rockets into Israel early on Sunday, with some reaching areas near the northern city of Haifa, extending their range to previously untargeted locations amid the ongoing conflict.
Israeli media reported that Hezbollah targeted a military airport located in the northern Jezreel Valley, triggering sirens across the region and in various areas of the occupied Golan Heights and Upper Galilee.
Buildings were damaged and cars caught fire near Haifa. The Israeli Magen David Adom emergency service said four people were injured by shrapnel, including a 76-year-old man who sustained moderate wounds, while the other three were lightly injured, Xinhua news agency reported quoting local media.
The Israeli military said in a statement that Hezbollah’s rockets were fired toward “civilian areas” and that its defensive systems “are deployed in the area and on high alert to thwart threats.”
The Israeli military carried out additional airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Sunday morning and vowed that its strikes “will continue and intensify against Hezbollah.”
Following the rocket attack, Israel’s Home Front Command announced that schools would be closed and gatherings and movements would be restricted in all areas north of Haifa.
Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying that they were targeting a military industry complex of Rafael, a weapons company.
The attacks, Hezbollah said, were the “initial response to the brutal massacre” on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Israel allegedly caused thousands of pagers and wireless devices to explode, killing at least 37 people, including civilians, and injuring thousands. An Israeli airstrike on the weekend in Beirut targeted a senior Hezbollah commander, killing at least 45 people.
Also before dawn, multiple drones approached Israel from the direction of Iraq. The Israeli military said they were intercepted before crossing into Israeli territory.
–IANS
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