Hezbollah fires dozens of Katyusha rockets at two kibbutzim in northern Israel

Jul 17. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Lebanese Shiite party-militia Hezbollah launched dozens of Katyusha missiles at two kibbutzim in northern Israel early Wednesday morning, with no reports of damage or injuries reported by Israeli authorities. This action comes after the deaths of five people, including three minors, in Israeli army bombings in southern Lebanon.

Islamist militants have attacked the kibbutzim of Saar and Gisher Haziv, the Lebanese television channel Al Manar, which is close to the group, reported.

Israeli Army Radio reported the launching of at least 15 rockets, some of which were intercepted and others fell in “open areas” without causing casualties or damage.

A few hours earlier, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed numerous strikes against Hezbollah positions in the villages of Kfar Kila, Yarin, Itatron, Blat and Ayta ash Shab, all in southern Lebanon, a series of actions carried out in response to the launching of more than 40 rockets from Lebanese territory that have caused no damage or casualties.

Clashes on the border between Hezbollah and Israeli security forces have intensified since the start of the military offensive on the Gaza Strip in October last year. Since then, at least 490 people have been killed in Lebanon, including some 370 Hezbollah members, while on the Israeli side around 30 people have been killed, half of them soldiers.

Tensions have been on the rise in recent weeks, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently warning that the Israeli army “is prepared for a very powerful action” on the border with Lebanon, while Hezbollah’s number two, Naim Qassem, has maintained that an expansion of the conflict would lead to “devastation and destruction” in Israel.