Hezbollah launches 20 rockets, drone attacks against Israeli sites

ISTANBUL

Hezbollah said Saturday it carried out 20 attacks using rockets and drones on Israeli military sites and troop concentrations in northern Israel.

The Lebanese group said in a series of statements monitored by Anadolu that the attacks were “in response to Israeli attacks on dozens of Lebanese towns and cities,” including Beirut’s southern suburbs.

Among the targets was Nahariya in northern Israel, where Hezbollah said it launched three rocket barrages and a swarm of loitering drones after warning residents to evacuate.

Earlier Saturday, the group urged residents of Nahariya and Kiryat Shmona to leave immediately and head south, posting the warning on Telegram alongside maps of the two cities.

Hezbollah said it also targeted the Iron Dome radar systems at the Kiryat Eliezer site, which it described as a key air defense base in the northern city of Haifa.

Other strikes included rocket fire and drone attacks on the cities of Haifa and Kiryat Shmona, as well as the Stella Maris base and the Rafael military industries complex near Acre, according to the group.

Hezbollah also reported strikes on several Israeli military positions near the Lebanese border, including troop concentrations near Khiam and Hamamis hill in southern Lebanon.

Additional attacks targeted military positions near the Fatima Gate crossing on the Lebanese-Israeli border and the Ein Zeitim base northwest of Safed, the group said.

Hezbollah said it fired a “precision missile” toward the Tel Hashomer base, 120 kilometers (75 miles) from the Lebanese border.

The Israeli army acknowledged that an overnight special forces operation in eastern Lebanon to locate the remains of missing navigator Ron Arad had failed.

The developments come amid Israel’s expanding military campaign in Lebanon since Monday, following limited rocket fire by Hezbollah amid broader regional tensions linked to the war launched by Israel and the US against Iran.

Israel has killed more than 4,000 victims and wounded 17,000 during an offensive in Lebanon that began in October 2023 and escalated into a full-scale war in September 2024.

Despite a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah since November 2024, Israel has continued near-daily violations that have left hundreds dead and wounded.

*Writing by Tarek Chouiref