Rockets strike Nazareth as Hezbollah launches deepest attack into Israel since Oct 7 - The Jewish Chronicle

Hezbollah launched its deepest rocket attack into Israel since the start of the war on Sunday morning, firing a barrage of missiles into the Jezreel Valley of northern Israel in an attempt to destroy the Ramat David Airbase in what appears to be an escalation of the regional conflict toward all-out war.

According to the IDF, hundreds of thousands of Israeli civilians hid in their bomb shelters overnight as Hezbollah launched a series of missiles at the Haifa area, most of which were intercepted, though others impacted in the suburb of Kiryat Bialik and left three people injured. Two men in their 70s and a 16-year-old were taken to Haifa’s Rambam Medical Center for treatment.

Hezbollah’s terrorism targets civilians.

Hundreds of thousands of Israeli civilians spent their night hiding in bomb shelters, while barrages of rockets were flying over their heads, some hitting their homes, and rocket alert sirens were constantly sounding throughout the night.… pic.twitter.com/2XzgAQQ7Fp
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 22, 2024

The IDF also claimed to have intercepted all 24 rockets fired at the Jezreel Valley near the predominantly Arab-Israeli town of Nazareth on Sunday morning, but a 17-year-old was killed in a traffic accident between Haifa and Nazareth when the sirens sounded during one of the early morning barrages.

Hezbollah said in a statement that the rockets had targeted the Israeli Air Force base roughly 50 kilometers from the Lebanon border, the group’s furthest target into Israeli territory since the start of the war in October last year. They claimed that the rocket fire deep into Israel’s northern region was a retaliatory strike for the pager and walkie-talkie attacks on members of the terrorist group in Lebanon last week, which killed over 30 Hezbollah members and wounded thousands of others, though Israel has not publicly commented on its role in the attack.

The IDF has already responded to the recent attacks, launching airstrikes on hundreds of Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon on Saturday night and Sunday morning.

‼️ Hezbollah barrage sees direct hit in Nazareth as nearly 70 cities under fire Hezbollah terrorist rockets. pic.twitter.com/iDdsh2i0bP
— Emily Schrader - אמילי שריידר امیلی شریدر (@emilykschrader) September 21, 2024

The attacks follow a “targeted” Israeli airstrike on a suburb of Beirut on Friday which reportedly resulted in the deaths of senior Hezbollah official Ibrahim Akil and several others. According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, the strike killed 31 people and wounded 68 others.

The IDF has said that the attack “almost completely dismantled” Hezbollah’s chain of command and vowed to “continue operating against any terrorist organisation that poses a threat to our civilians.”

The UN special coordinator in Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasscharet, said in a post on X that "with the region on the brink of an imminent catastrophe, it cannot be overstated enough: there is NO military solution that will make either side safer.”

“With the region on the brink of an imminent catastrophe, it cannot be overstated enough: there is NO military solution that will make either side safer.” - @UN Special Coordinator for #Lebanon @JeanineHennis. pic.twitter.com/CNXSO4VhTF
— UNSCOL (@UNSCOL) September 22, 2024

Militias in the region are also believed to have joined Hezbollah’s attack with the IDF claiming to have shot down missiles from an Iran-affiliated group in Iraq.