Israel Strikes 230 Lebanon, Gaza Targets; Hezbollah Launches Morning Barrage

Jerusalem, 22 October, 2024 (TPS) -- Israeli aircraft struck 230 Hezbollah and Hamas targets in Lebanon and Gaza in the past 24 hours, the Israel Defense Forces said on Tuesday morning as Hezbollah fired a new barrage of missiles at Israel.

Five rockets aimed at central Israel while another 15 targeted the north. All were intercepted or fell in open areas, though shrapnel from an intercepted missile fell in the city of B’nei Brak, next to Tel Aviv. Police said falling debris also damaged a building and some vehicles on Kibbutz Ma’agen Michael, near Haifa.

Among the Hezbollah sites hit in the airstrikes were three headquarters of Hezbollah’s Unit 127, which is responsible for launching drone attacks on Israel. The IDF vowed to eliminate this unit, which oversees the terror group’s unmanned aerial vehicles. Also struck was a Hezbollah situation room, where about 15 terrorists were killed.

In Gaza, soldiers continued fighting in the northern Strip’s Jabaliya area. Forces allowed thousands of civilians to evacuate along pre-arranged routes. Dozens of terrorists caught hiding among the civilians were arrested.

Hamas is trying to re-establish itself in northern Gaza, particularly in Jabaliya. Analysts told The Press Service of Israel in mid-October that the terror group continues seizing humanitarian aid intended for Gaza residents, using it for its own needs and selling the remains to civilians at high prices.

Meanwhile, soldiers in the nearby town of Beit Lahia destroyed several tunnel shafts and a rocket launcher.

After the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, the Iran-backed Hezbollah began firing rockets and launching drones at northern Israel communities daily. According to figures released by the government on Sept. 29, more than 68,000 residents of northern Israel are displaced from their homes. Hezbollah leaders have repeatedly said they would continue the attacks to prevent Israelis from returning to their homes.

Hezbollah’s barrages have killed 59 people.

According to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Second Lebanon War, the terror group is forbidden from operating in southern Lebanon.

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.