Power outages and destruction in northern Israel – 130 rockets fired from Lebanon

From the editors of the Palestine Chronicle

On Friday morning, about 130 rockets were fired from southern Lebanon into northern Israel, causing power outages in several areas of Safed.

Israeli Army Radio confirmed that about 130 rockets were fired toward northern Israel on Friday, with some being intercepted.

Meanwhile, Israel's Channel 12 reported that fire and rescue teams were dispatched to several locations in Safed after fires broke out, while Al-Mayadeen, citing Israeli media, reported that firefighters were not allowed to extinguish fires in Safed for fear of further shelling.

The Israeli military said the rockets were fired in two waves and targeted Safed in the Upper Galilee and the northern Golan Heights.

Power outages were reported in some areas of Safed as a result of the rocket fire.

An Israeli is said to have been injured when his car was damaged while intercepting rockets in the Golan Heights.

ISRAELI MEDIA: About 130 rockets were fired at the north in the last hour.

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— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) 20 September 2024

The Lebanese Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the attack on the Israeli site of Matla in the Galilee Finger region and for bombing the air and missile defense headquarters in the Kela barracks with Katyusha rockets.

The group also claimed to have attacked the headquarters of the 188th Armored Brigade of the 36th Division at the Al-Aliqa Barracks with additional Katyusha rockets.

The Al Jazeera correspondent reported that Israeli planes attacked the towns of Taybeh, Aitaroun, Adaisseh, Mays al-Jabal and Kfar Kila in southern Lebanon on Friday morning.

Israeli air strikes

Following a series of mutual attacks in which Hezbollah launched 17 attacks on Israeli positions, the Israeli army lifted the emergency measures imposed on the Upper Galilee and the Houla Valley in anticipation of further attacks from southern Lebanon.

The Israeli military claimed to have destroyed 100 Hezbollah missile platforms in intensive air strikes on several towns in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah: Our mujahideen bombarded the main anti-aircraft missile base of the Northern Region Command in the “Beria” barracks with salvos of “Katyusha” rockets. pic.twitter.com/ymuK3yv4Ci

— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) 20 September 2024

The development comes amid growing fears of imminent conflict following attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday that reportedly destroyed thousands of Hezbollah communications devices and left hundreds of casualties.

The Lebanese news agency reported that the Israeli Air Force had carried out more than 52 air strikes in southern Lebanon since 9 p.m. on Thursday.

The attacks targeted forest areas in the town of Mahmoudiya, the outskirts of Aishiya, the Rayhan Heights and the area around the Barghaz River, but no casualties were reported.

The escalation followed an announcement by the Israeli military that it would shift the focus of its operations from the Gaza Strip to the northern front. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant confirmed that military operations against Hezbollah would continue as part of a “new phase of the war” that entails significant risks to return residents to northern cities.

Damaged houses

In Metulla, the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom reported that around 50 houses were damaged by artillery fire from Lebanon between Thursday morning and Friday.

According to Al-Jazeera, 300 houses in Metula have been damaged since the shooting began on October 8 – half of all the town’s residential buildings.

🚨 The moment when rockets fired by Hezbollah directly hit the settlements in occupied Safad and its surroundings.

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— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) 20 September 2024

Since the beginning of the Israeli war against Gaza on October 7, the Lebanese Hezbollah movement has been directly involved, albeit on a relatively limited scale, in the war against the Israeli occupation.

According to Hezbollah sources, the movement carried out 1,194 military operations in the first 250 days of the war, killing or wounding more than 2,000 Israeli soldiers.

Israel has occupied parts of Lebanon for decades and only left the country in 2000 after fierce Lebanese resistance led by Hezbollah.

The attempt to reoccupy Lebanon in 2006 failed, which Lebanon considers a major victory against Israel.

However, Israel continues to occupy parts of Lebanon, particularly the Sheeba Farms region.

Hezbollah has vowed to retake every inch of Lebanon occupied by Israel in violation of international law.

(PC, AJA)