Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis fired rockets at Samaria in several waves of attacks throughout the day on Saturday, causing damage in Jewish and Palestinian communities in the area, Israeli authorities said.
The attacks followed the targeted assassination in Beirut of Iranian-backed terrorist leader Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Hezbollah.
On Saturday morning, air-raid sirens were activated in some 20 towns across the Binyamin region of central Samaria, sending tens and thousands of Israelis running for cover, including in the city of Beit El.
“During Shabbat, sirens were heard in most communities in Binyamin due to rocket fire from Lebanon and Yemen,” Binyamin Regional Council head Israel Ganz wrote in a message to residents on Saturday night, confirming that terrorist projectiles were shot down above the communities of Givat Asaf and Talmonim.
A separate attack on Shabbat morning triggered alarms in the northern Samaria towns of Alei Zahav, Hinanit, Peduel, Reihan, Shaked and Tal Menashe, sending approximately 11,000 Israelis to bomb shelters.
“No falls were detected in Samaria,” Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan wrote following the conclusion of Shabbat, urging residents to increase their vigilance as terrorist groups target Israel’s center.
According to reports in Arab media, Saturday morning’s attacks caused material damage in the Palestinian town of Ein Yabrud, near Beit El in the Binyamin region, and in Huwara in the Nablus area of northern Samaria.
On Saturday night, additional barrages towards Jerusalem from Lebanon caused a fire outside the Jewish town of Mitzpe Hagit, in the Binyamin region on the outskirts of the capital, the Fire and Rescue Authority said.
“Around 10:20 p.m., a report was received of a missile falling near the community of Mitzpe Hagit in Binyamin, causing a fire,” said fire chief Ido Peretz, commander of the Binyamin regional station. “There is damage to infrastructure at the site, which makes firefighting operations difficult.”
Following the attacks, residents of Mitzpe Hagit and Ma’ale Michmash briefly lost power, according to the Israel Electric Corporation.
In addition, a resident of Mitzpe Hagit broke her leg when she fled her home, fearing a terrorist infiltration amid the aerial attacks, Israel’s Army Radio reported on Sunday.
The report said the woman and her family fled barefoot to a nearby valley and had to be rescued by security teams.
During Shabbat, the IDF deployed three reservist battalions to northern Samaria, Binyamin and Judea amid fears of a security escalation in the territories, Israel Hayom reported. The IDF said the move did not come due to the fear of impending attacks but rather to strengthen security.
On Sept. 23, a terrorist rocket from Lebanon hit near the Israeli city of Ariel in Samaria for the first time since the start of the current war.
According to reports, the Hezbollah rocket struck just outside a pre-military academy in Peduel, located just east of the security barrier in northern Samaria and less than 10 miles from Israel’s central region.
