Hezbollah fires 115 rockets at Israel after IDF hits weapons depots in east Lebanon
None hurt in barrages; firefighters battle blazes sparked by impacts; Gallant: Israel’s ‘center of gravity’ gradually moving from Gaza to the northern front
Hezbollah fired some 115 rockets and several drones from Lebanon at northern Israel on Tuesday in barrages throughout the day, according to the Israel Defense Forces, which said that some of the projectiles were intercepted.
Amid the repeated barrages, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned that the Israeli military was shifting its focus from Gaza to the northern front, portending a major escalation with Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
There were no injuries reported in the attacks on the Upper Galilee, Western Galilee, and the Golan Heights.
The IDF said some of the rocket impacts sparked fires in open areas and that firefighters were working to extinguish them.
The army said it struck one of the launchers shortly after rocket fire in the morning hours.
Sirens sounded in multiple northern communities amid the attacks.
The Iran-backed terror group said the barrages targeted military bases.
Some of the attacks it said were in response to IDF strikes on Hezbollah arms depots deep inside Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley late Monday, and the killing of a prominent operative earlier in the day.
Earlier Monday, an Israeli military NCO was killed in an explosive drone attack on northern Israel.
Israeli strikes deep inside Lebanon are relatively rare and generally come in response to deadly attacks. Nabi Chit, where one of the strikes in Baalbek reportedly took place, is some 70 kilometers (43 miles) from the Israeli border.
The IDF also carried out a drone strike on Monday night in southern Lebanon’s Deir Qanoun, near Tyre, killing a Hezbollah operative named as Hussein Suleiman. The IDF identified Suleiman as a prominent member of Hezbollah’s rocket and missile unit.
Also Monday night, the IDF carried out strikes on a pair of Hezbollah rocket launchers in southern Lebanon’s Mansouri and Taybeh that were primed for “immediate” launch at Israel.
On Tuesday, the IDF said that it struck a building where several Hezbollah operatives were spotted in southern Lebanon’s Matmoura, along with another structure in the area.
It published footage of the strikes.
A Lebanese media report on Monday claimed that Hezbollah’s threatened retaliatory attack for the killing of top commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut last month could be back on track after its ally Hamas appeared to reject truce terms aimed at ending fighting in Gaza.
Iran has also threatened a major assault on the Jewish state following the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in an attack blamed on Israel. It too has indicated its next steps could depend on the results of the Gaza ceasefire talks.
Meanwhile on Tuesday, Gallant said Israel’s “center of gravity” was gradually moving away from the Gaza Strip to the northern front, as the country readied for a major escalation with Hezbollah.
“Our center of gravity is moving from south to north, we are in a gradual change, we have more tasks in the south, we have hostages, we need to bring them, we are negotiating on this and I believe we will succeed in reaching results, this is a very important thing,” Gallant said during a visit to the 36th Division in northern Israel.
“We want to return the [displaced] residents to the north, we want to return them safely. If it is possible to do this in an agreement, we will do it in an agreement,” he said, warning that Israel would otherwise act.
Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis since October 8, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war against the Hamas terror group there.
So far, the skirmishes have resulted in 26 civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the deaths of 19 IDF soldiers and reservists. There have also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries.
Hezbollah has named 415 members who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon but some also in Syria. In Lebanon, another 72 operatives from other terror groups, a Lebanese soldier, and dozens of civilians have been killed.
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