JERUSALEM. Hezbollah unleashed a barrage of 140 rockets on northern Israel on Friday, intensifying cross-border hostilities that have escalated since the Israel-Hamas war began. The assault came just a day after Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, vowed to retaliate for what the group described as a mass bombing attack by Israel.
According to Israel’s military, the rockets were fired in three waves, targeting areas along the heavily bombarded border with Lebanon. In response, Israel launched retaliatory strikes on southern Lebanon, focusing on Hezbollah’s infrastructure, although no specific details of the damage were disclosed.
Hezbollah confirmed that its attacks had hit multiple locations along the border, including air defense bases and, for the first time, the headquarters of an Israeli armored brigade. These attacks were carried out using Katyusha rockets.
The Israeli military reported that 120 missiles were launched at areas in the Golan Heights, Safed, and Upper Galilee, some of which were intercepted. Fire crews worked to control fires caused by debris in various regions. The military did not specify if any missiles hit their targets or caused casualties.
Additionally, 20 more missiles were fired at Meron and Netua, with most landing in open areas, and no injuries were reported.
Hezbollah stated that the rocket barrage was in retaliation for Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanese villages and homes. These airstrikes followed a devastating two-day attack that triggered explosions in thousands of Hezbollah communication devices, including pagers and walkie-talkies.
While Hezbollah and Israel have engaged in near-daily exchanges of fire since October 8, the intensity of Friday’s attacks marked a significant escalation. Nasrallah, in a speech on Thursday, pledged to continue the strikes against Israel despite the destruction of the group’s communication devices, which he called a “severe blow.”
The sophisticated sabotage attacks on Hezbollah devices have raised concerns that the ongoing cross-border hostilities could spiral into full-scale war. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement in these attacks.
In recent days, Israel has deployed additional military forces to its northern border, with officials escalating their rhetoric. The country’s security Cabinet has declared the return of displaced residents to their homes in northern Israel as a critical objective.
While the fighting in Gaza has slowed, casualties there continue to mount. Overnight, Palestinian authorities reported 15 deaths in multiple Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, including six members of a family in Gaza City. Another airstrike killed one person on a street in Gaza City.
Israel maintains that it targets only militants and accuses Hamas of putting civilians at risk by operating in residential areas. The Israeli military, which typically refrains from commenting on individual strikes, had no immediate response.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed since Hamas’ initial attack on October 7, with over half of the casualties being women and children. The ministry’s statistics do not distinguish between fighters and civilians. Israel claims to have killed over 17,000 militants, though it has not provided supporting evidence.
More than 95,000 people have been wounded in Gaza since the war began, and the devastation has forced about 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents to flee their homes, further compounding the region’s humanitarian crisis.
Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
