BEIRUT: Hezbollah fired a barrage of rockets at occupied Safed in northern Israel on Wednesday, marking the third such assault in 24 hours in response to Israeli raids across Lebanon. Hezbollah vowed continued action in “defense of Lebanon and its people.”
The rockets were launched at approximately 6:50 pm local time, triggering air raid sirens in occupied Safed, according to Hezbollah’s statement. Israeli authorities confirmed the barrage.
Israel’s military reported that around 60 rockets were launched from Lebanon by Hezbollah on Wednesday. According to Israeli media outlet Haaretz, five rockets landed in open areas in the north of Israel, while further details about the remaining projectiles were not shared.
In addition to Safed, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for targeting other Israeli locations, including the Yiftah settlement and military positions in Dalton and Deshon.
Hezbollah fighters also reported hitting an Israeli tank with a guided missile in the Lebanese town of Ramiya, allegedly causing casualties, though Israel has not yet confirmed the report.
According to Hezbollah, the rockets were fired in response to Israel’s ongoing large-scale air campaign in Lebanon, which began on September 23. Israeli strikes have reportedly killed over 1,500 people and displaced more than a million in Lebanon. Israeli forces expanded their campaign into southern Lebanon on October 1.
Israel’s airstrikes on Wednesday targeted several regions, including Beirut’s southern suburbs, Nabatiyeh, and the southern town of Qana, where at least 21 people were killed. In Qana, a strike on a residential building claimed the lives of 15 people, with rescuers continuing to search for survivors.
The Lebanese government has condemned the strikes, with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati accusing Israel of “intentionally targeting” civilians, particularly in a strike on a relief coordination meeting in Nabatiyeh that killed six people, including the city’s mayor.
While Israel justifies its airstrikes, Lebanese officials, including Mikati, have called on the international community to address the rising civilian casualties. The United Nations also expressed concern over the situation, calling the strikes on civilian areas “alarming.”
