Two civilians were killed and eight others wounded on Wednesday when rockets fired from Lebanon struck the northern Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona and the Haifa Bay area, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Magen David Adom, Israel’s national emergency service.
Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the rocket barrage, stating that its forces were targeting Israeli military positions.
According to the IDF, Hezbollah launched at least 90 rockets into northern Israel, with 20 targeting Kiryat Shmona in a single barrage. Israeli air defenses intercepted some of the rockets, but others hit populated areas, sparking fires and causing significant damage. In Kiryat Shmona, a couple in their 40s was fatally wounded by shrapnel while walking their dog and were unable to reach shelter in time. Several others were treated for injuries, including a 16-year-old boy in Haifa who was hit by shrapnel and is in moderate condition.
The rocket strikes also ignited multiple fires in residential areas, as residents scrambled for cover during the brief warning period provided by Israel’s alert system. Firefighters worked to extinguish blazes near homes, including one that badly damaged a house in Kiryat Shmona.
The latest strikes represent the first civilian casualties in Israel from Hezbollah rocket fire since the conflict intensified two weeks ago.
In response, the IDF reported that it carried out airstrikes on more than 100 Hezbollah targets across southern Lebanon, aiming to dismantle the group’s infrastructure along the Israeli border. The Lebanese Health Ministry reported that at least four people were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Wardaniyeh, north of the city of Sidon, where a hotel housing displaced families was hit.
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