Hamas Fires 40 Rockets to Northern Israel, IDF Responds With Airstrikes

By Yoni Weiss

The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, claimed responsibility for launching 40 Grad rockets from southern Lebanon into northern Israel on Wednesday morning. The attack targeted the headquarters of the 769th Brigade and an airfield in Beit Hillel. Despite the intensity of the barrage, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported no hits on their installations.

The residents of the northern city of Kiryat Shemona and nearby communities in the Upper Galilee region were abruptly awakened by sirens warning of consecutive rocket attacks. Two separate volleys were fired toward Kiryat Shemona, with one rocket intercepted and two falling in unpopulated areas during the initial barrage. A tourist area, where a vacation resort is under construction, also witnessed a rocket landing. In a subsequent barrage, seven rockets were fired, resulting in six interceptions, while one rocket struck the roof of a residential building.

B’chasdei Shamayim, there were no reported casualties from the rocket attacks. However, the residential building that sustained a direct hit experienced damage, along with the surrounding infrastructure. The IDF promptly responded to the cross-border aggression, confirming that around 10 rockets had entered northern Israel from Lebanon. Air defenses successfully intercepted several rockets, and Israeli forces retaliated by striking the sources of the rocket fire within Lebanon.

As part of their response, Israeli fighter jets targeted a Hezbollah weapons storage facility and military installations in the southern Lebanese village of Ramyeh. Overnight airstrikes also hit a Hezbollah weapons manufacturing site in the region of Khirbet Selm. The exchange of fire marks a significant flare-up in tensions, with both sides engaging in retaliatory actions, raising concerns about the stability of the region in the coming days.