Hezbollah Rocket Barrages and Israeli Airstrikes Continue

Jerusalem, 25 September, 2024 (TPS) -- Hezbollah rocket barrages and Israeli airstrikes continued on Wednesday with Tel Aviv being targeted by a ballistic missile from Lebanon for the first time and an assisted living facility in Safed taking a direct hit.

Hezbollah fired more than 40 rockets at Safed, Tiberias and the Carmel region. While most were intercepted or landed in open areas, shrapnel from intercepted missiles fell on Safed, causing damage to property.

An assisted living facility in the northern Israeli city of Safed took a direct hit during a Hezbollah missile barrage while Israeli airstrikes continued to pound the Iran-backed terror group’s assets in southern Lebanon on Wednesday.

“It is about a missile falling directly inside the house, by a great miracle no one was home,” said Safed Mayor Yossi Kakon.

Falling shrapnel also sparked fires outside the city which firefighters were working to contain. Police closed one road connecting the city to Rosh Pinna in the Upper Galilee because of the blazes.

Earlier in the day, Israel air defenses intercepted a ballistic missile fired at Tel Aviv, triggering red alert sirens throughout the metropolitan area. It was the first time Hezbollah ever fired a missile at the city. Hezbollah claimed it targeted the Mossad’s headquarters with a Qader-1 missile.

The Israel Electric Corp. also reported an apparent attempt to hit an unspecified “strategic” facility. “Thanks to the protective measures installed in advance, there is no damage to the site,” the company said.

Also during the morning, Air Force jets intercepted a drone that crossed into Israeli skies from Syria.

Meanwhile, the Air Force hammered weapons storage facilities in southern Lebanon, striking more than 100 targets, the Israel Defense Forces said in the afternoon.

As the situation unfolded, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced he was delaying his departure for the U.S. to Thursday. Netanyahu will be attending the opening session of the United Nations General Assembly, which he is scheduled to address on Friday.

On Tuesday, Israel confirmed killing the commander of Hezbollah’s missile and rocket array, Ibrahim Muhammad Kabis, in an airstrike in Beirut.

Residents of northern Israel were forced to evacuate their homes when Hezbollah began launching rockets and drones in October. The terror group has launched more than 9,000 rockets and drones, killing 26 civilians and 22 soldiers on the Israeli side.

Hezbollah leaders have said they will continue the attacks to prevent Israelis from returning to their homes.

Israeli officials have been calling for Hezbollah to be disarmed and removed from southern Lebanon in compliance with UN Security Council resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Second Lebanon War.