Air-raid sirens sounded in the towns of Betzet and Shlomi in northern Israel on Thursday afternoon, one of a series of alarms in areas near the Lebanese border throughout the day.
Shrapnel from the interception of enemy projectiles sparked a fire in Shlomi.
Earlier in the day, the Iron Dome air-defense system intercepted a “suspicious aerial target,” believed to be a drone, that crossed into Israeli territory from Lebanon, triggering warning sirens in the Moshav Margaliot area, the IDF said.
The Iron Dome intercepted another “suspicious aerial target” later in the day. A siren sounded in the area of Kibbutz Kfar Giladi following the possibility of shrapnel falling from that interception, according to the IDF.
There were no reports of casualties or damage.
Hezbollah took responsibility for an attack earlier in the day near the border community of Matot.
Hezbollah has carried out near-daily attacks on Israel since the Iranian-backed terrorist group joined the war against the Jewish state in support of Hamas on Oct. 8. The attacks have killed more than 20 Israelis and an Indian worker, and inflicted considerable damage.
More than 80,000 residents of 42 northern Israeli communities within 6.2 miles of the Lebanon border remain internally displaced, with most of them housed in hotels, due to the ongoing Hezbollah threat.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visited the IDF’s Northern Command on Wednesday for an operational situational assessment. Maj. Gen. Uri Gordin, head of Northern Command, joined Gallant.
“I have just completed a situation assessment and tour of the Northern Command—I was very impressed with the precise work conducted by our troops, by the way they defend the border and engage Hezbollah,” Gallant said.
“[Hezbollah chief Hassan] Nasrallah is dragging Lebanon into a very, very difficult reality—one in which the people of Lebanon and Hezbollah forces will pay the price. This is the same Nasrallah who told you two weeks ago that there were no casualties among Hezbollah terrorists,” the minister continued.
“My question to him: Aren’t they your people? The [Hezbollah] brigade commanders—commander of the Bint Jbeil Brigade, and the senior officers—Abu Madi, who has been dealing with missiles his whole life, Sid Mechi, one of the most senior Hezbollah operatives, Jawad Twil, commander of the Radwan Forces—aren’t they all Hezbollah members? This is a partial list—there are 320 terrorists killed, including senior operatives. If you [Hezbollah] will continue, we will accelerate [the targeted killings].”
