A Hezbollah rocket from Lebanon scored a direct hit on Kibbutz Sa’ar in northern Israel’s Western Galilee on Wednesday afternoon, wounding two people, one seriously.
A 35-year-old man was in serious condition and a 52-year-old man in moderate condition, according to the Magen David Adom emergency service. Both were wounded by shrapnel.
Update on the incident in the Asher region
MDA EMTs and paramedics are providing medical treatment and evacuating two casualties with shrapnel wounds to the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya. 35 year old in serious condition, and 52 year old in moderate condition pic.twitter.com/1P3ufgKaq3
— Magen David Adom (@Mdais) September 25, 2024
They were taken to nearby Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya after initial treatment at the scene.
The kibbutz falls within the jurisdiction of the Mateh Asher Regional Council.
Iran’s Lebanese terror proxy has been inundating northern Israel with rocket fire since launching a ballistic missile at the center of the country earlier in the morning, which was intercepted. The Israeli Air Force destroyed the launcher used in the missile attack at Tel Aviv which was located in the area of Nafakhiye in Lebanon.
⭕️Following the launch of a Hezbollah surface-to-surface missile toward central Israel, the IAF struck the launcher from which the missile was fired in the area of Nafakhiyeh, Lebanon. pic.twitter.com/nYONUJN5bz
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 25, 2024
The Iranian proxy claimed that the target of the attack was the headquarters of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency. However, Israeli military spokesman Nadav Shoshani was quoted by Reuters as saying that the target cannot be confirmed.
“The result was a heavy missile, going towards Tel Aviv, towards civilian areas in Tel Aviv. The Mossad headquarters is not in that area,” he said.
The Israel Defense Forces said that 30 rockets were launched in Hezbollah’s latest barrage on the Western Galilee and towns east of Haifa.
A 40-rocket salvo in the Upper Galilee area preceded it, with one rocket hitting an assisted living facility in Safed area, with no injuries reported.
Sirens also sounded in the Central Galilee, HaAmakim, Gonen and Lehavot HaBashan in northern Israel.
The IDF said in the afternoon that it began conducting strikes in the area of Nabatieh in Southern Lebanon, after earlier in the day announcing that it was attacking extensively in Southern Lebanon and the Beqaa area deep inside Lebanese territory.
Also on Wednesday morning, IAF fighter jets shot down a drone south of the Sea of Galilee that was “approaching from the east” and crossed into Israeli territory from Syria. There were no injuries and no damage reported in the incident.
Additionally in the morning, five projectiles crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory, setting off sirens in the areas of Menashe, Hacarmel and Wadi Ara. Several were intercepted and a fall was detected. Shortly afterward, the IAF struck the launcher, which was located in Tebnine in Southern Lebanon. The IAF also struck dozens of Hezbollah weapons storage facilities.
בסגירת מעגל מהירה, מטוסי קרב של חיל האוויר תקפו במרחב תבנין שבדרום לבנון את המשגר ממנו בוצע הירי למרחב ואדי ערה הבוקר>> pic.twitter.com/5QApxrfVHA
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) September 25, 2024
Hezbollah took responsibility for Wednesday’s attacks, saying it targeted both towns and military bases. The terror army also said two of its members were killed in Israeli strikes, raising the number of Hezbollah terrorists killed since October to at least 510, although the IDF believes that figure to be much higher.
Pager, walkie-talkie attacks put 1,500 terrorists out of commission
Last week’s series of attacks on communication devices in Lebanon put 1,500 Hezbollah terrorists out of commission due to injuries, with many blinded or had their hands blown off, a Hezbollah official told Reuters on Wednesday.
The pager and walkie-talkie explosions killed 39 and wounded nearly 3,000 in the worst security breach in Hezbollah’s history. Jerusalem has neither confirmed or denied its involvement.
According to a report for the U.S. Congress on Friday, the radical Shi’ite terror army boasts 40,000 to 50,000 fighters and Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah has claimed the group has 100,000 fighters.
IDF Northern Command chief speaks on potential ground op
IDF Northern Command chief Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin said on Tuesday that military force must be prepared for a potential ground invasion of Southern Lebanon.
“We have entered a new phase of the campaign, and we are now in Operation ‘Northern Arrows.’ The operation began with a significant blow to Hezbollah’s capabilities, focusing on their firepower capabilities, and a very significant hit on the organization’s commanders and operatives,” he said during a visit with commanders and soldiers of the 7th Brigade on the northern border.
“Facing this, we need to change the security situation,” he stressed, adding that “we must be fully prepared for maneuvers and action.”
