3 Injured in Hezbollah Rocket Barrages, Israel Vows to ‘Intensify’ Airstrikes

Jerusalem, 22 September, 2024 (TPS) -- The Israel Defense Forces said it would “intensify” its airstrikes on Hezbollah after three Israelis were injured in a Sunday morning rocket barrage.

The rocket fire followed a late-night barrage in which the Iran-backed terror group fired heavy Fajr-5 missiles for the first time since the Second War in Lebanon in 2006.

“The IDF’s strikes against Hezbollah will continue and intensify,” the military said in a statement.

The army said it detected 105 rockets crossing into Israeli territory on Sunday morning between 4:45 – 7:00 AM in two waves.

Magen David Adom emergency responders said they treated three Israelis with moderate to light shrapnel injuries in Kiryat Bialik, near Haifa. Rockets also landed in Tzur Shalom, near Haifa, and Moreshet in the Galilee. MDA also treated several people for anxiety or who hurt themselves while on their way to a shelter.

That followed a heavier barrage around 1:00 AM which Hezbollah said targeted the Ramat David Air Force base near Haifa. Around 300,000 Israelis in the greater Haifa area and northern Israel were forced to take shelter. One man in his 60s was treated for moderate shrapnel injuries in the Lower Galilee region.

Israel said it also intercepted two cruise missiles fired from Iraq during that barrage. The missiles were shot down before reaching Israeli territory.

Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have soared in recent days.

On Monday, the Security Cabinet updated its official war goals to include the secure return of 60,000 evacuated northern residents to their homes.

On Tuesday, pagers belonging to Hezbollah operatives exploded across Lebanon and in Syria, injuring thousands. More Hezbollah figures were injured in a second wave of explosions on Wednesday. The Iran-backed terror group said 32 of its people were killed, a number that has not been independently verified. Israeli officials believe the death toll is higher than Hezbollah has indicated. The blasts are widely attributed to Israel, but Jerusalem has not commented.

On Thursday, two Israeli soldiers were killed along the northern border in Hezbollah missile and drone attacks.

An Israeli airstrike in Beirut on Friday killed 16 senior terrorists, eliminating most of the elite Radwan Force’s chain of command.

Northern residents were forced to evacuate their homes when Hezbollah began launching rockets and drones in October. The terror group has launched more than 6,700 rockets and drones, killingd 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, which Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah reiterated in a speech on Thursday night.

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

Israel’s three other official war goals are the eradication of Hamas’s military and governing capabilities, the return of all hostages, and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel.

At least 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 97 remaining hostages, more than 30 have been declared dead. Hamas has also been holding captive two Israeli civilians since 2014 and 2015, and the bodies of two soldiers killed in 2014.