Air-raid sirens continued to blare throughout northern Israel on Thursday, warning of incoming rocket and missile fire from Hezbollah, Iran’s terrorist proxy in Lebanon.
Alerts were activated from across the Galilee, from Moshav Shtula in the northwest to the Metula area in the northeast, according to the Israel Defense Forces’ Home Front Command.
There were no immediate reports of injuries in the latest assaults targeting civilian communities in the Jewish state’s north.
Iranian-backed Hezbollah on Thursday morning took responsibility for overnight rocket attacks on Israel, saying they came in response to IDF strikes in Lebanon, which it claimed violated the ceasefire with Tehran.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Hezbollah in Lebanon was not included in the ceasefire agreement with Iran. The regime in Tehran has threatened to blow up the fragile ceasefire over the issue, warning of retaliation for Israeli strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The IDF on Wednesday carried out its largest coordinated strikes against Hezbollah terror targets in Lebanon since the start of “Operation Roaring Lion” against Iran on Feb. 28, hitting about 100 sites across multiple areas simultaneously within 10 minutes.
Hezbollah began firing rockets and suicide drones at Israel on March 2, in retaliation for the Jewish state’s targeted killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Khamenei was killed in the opening strikes of the war.
In response to the terrorist organization’s violation of the U.S.-brokered Nov. 27, 2024, truce agreement, Jerusalem launched an aerial campaign against Hezbollah and ordered IDF troops to advance and take control of additional areas in Southern Lebanon to halt cross-border attacks.
Soldiers of the IDF’s 162nd Division are continuing “targeted ground operations” against Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon, the military announced on Thursday.
In one raid, the 401st Brigade discovered a shaft leading to underground terrorist infrastructure. An armed Hezbollah operative emerged from the tunnel and was killed by soldiers in close-quarters combat, the IDF said.
The troops subsequently entered the shaft and discovered a weapons cache, including explosives, rockets, an RPG launcher and grenades.
In another operation, troops of the 401st Brigade dismantled several Hezbollah staging positions in which additional arms were found, according to the military.
Meanwhile, the 215th Brigade eliminated more than 70 terrorists, including a terrorist cell that had planned to carry out mortar fire toward soldiers. In one incident, the troops identified two terrorists entering a Hezbollah structure. The Israeli Air Force struck the structure and eliminated the terrorists.
In addition, the troops were said to have dismantled anti-tank launch positions, observation posts and command centers belonging to Hezbollah.
The Nahal Brigade also located a “large quantity” of weapons while dismantling dozens of terrorist infrastructures, including anti-tank positions aimed at IDF troops, per the military statement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Thursday to continue strikes on Hezbollah “with force, precision and determination.”
“Our message is clear: whoever acts against Israeli civilians will be struck. We will continue to strike Hezbollah wherever required, until we restore full security to the residents of the north,” the premier declared.
