IDF strikes Hezbollah targets after rocket fire on Galilee

Air-raid sirens sounded in Israel’s northernmost communities of Rosh Hanikra and Metula on Wednesday afternoon, warning of rocket attacks from Lebanon.

According to Israel’s Army Radio, approximately 20 projectiles were fired towards the Western Galilee kibbutz of Rosh Hanikra, though no casualties or damage were reported. In the town of Metula in the Eastern Galilee, two rockets caused material damage.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces destroyed numerous terrorist targets in Southern Lebanon, the military said on X.

Starting in the morning, Israeli Air Force jets attacked infrastructure and facilities belonging to the Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist organization near the Southern Lebanon village of Hula, the army said.

IDF tanks and artillery also “fired to remove threats” near the Lebanese towns of Ayta ash Shab, less than a mile northeast of the border fence, and near Dhayra, located adjacent to the Israeli border town of Arab al-Aramshe.

After an anti-tank-guided missile was fired from Lebanon towards the Gladiola military outpost, located atop Mount Dov, Israeli forces responded by attacking the source of the fire.

In addition, the IDF attacked a building in the Marwahin area after identifying a Lebanese terrorist cell operating there.

Hezbollah has initiated a series of fire exchanges in recent months, as the Jewish state fights Hamas terrorists to the south. Since Oct. 7, six Israeli civilians and nine IDF soldiers have been killed in attacks near the northern border.

During a visit to reserve forces in the north on Wednesday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi warned that the likelihood of a major war with Hezbollah in Lebanon is “much higher than it was in the past.”

He said the IDF is “increasing readiness for fighting in Lebanon; we have a lot of lessons from the fighting in Gaza, many of them are very relevant to fighting in Lebanon, and there are some that must be adjusted.

“We want to reach a very clear goal in Lebanon, to return the residents to the north, all the communities in the north,” he said, referring to the approximately 80,000 Israelis who live up to 5.5 miles from the northern border and have been evacuated from their homes.

On Sunday, Mira Ayalon, 76, and her son Barak Ayalon, 48, were killed in their home in Moshav Yuval in the Upper Galilee by two anti-tank missiles fired by Hezbollah from Lebanon. Barak Ayalon was a member of the community’s civilian emergency response team.

Overnight Saturday, five IDF soldiers were wounded during an exchange of fire with a terrorist squad that crossed into Israel from Lebanon. Three terrorists were killed during the battle.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal published on Jan. 7, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that while Israel is not seeking a war with Hezbollah, “80,000 people need to be able to go back to their homes safely,” and so if all else fails, “we are willing to sacrifice.”