WarSclerotic

Military says majority of over 10 projectiles were intercepted by air defenses; Defense Minister Gantz to hold immediate consultation at IDF headquaters

By EMANUEL FABIANToday, 11:11 am  

Iron Dome interceptor missiles are seen over the Golan Heights, as over 10 rockets were fired from southern Lebanon on August 6, 2021. (Video screenshot)

Over ten rockets were fired into northern Israel from Lebanon on Friday morning, sending residents in a number of towns in the Golan Heights and Galilee Panhandle scrambling to shelters.

The Israel Defense Forces said most of the rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system, while some landed in open areas of land in Mount Dov.

The alarms sounded shortly before 11 a.m. in Ein Quiniyye, Neveh Ativ and Snir, near Israel’s northern border with Lebanon and Syria.

The Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group confirmed it had fired the projectiles on Friday, which it said came in response to recent Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon.

“The Islamic Resistance shelled open areas near the Sheba Farms with dozens of 122mm rockets,” it said in a statement carried in Arabic-language media.Get The Times of Israel’s Daily Editionby email and never miss our top storiesNewsletter email addressGET ITBy signing up, you agree to the terms

Thursday’s early morning airstrikes were in response to a previous rocket attack from Lebanon on Wednesday.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. The Magen David Adom ambulance service said it was not aware of any injuries.

The IDF said it had begun a wave of artillery strikes toward the source of the rocket fire.

The military added that there were no special instructions for residents in the area. “Civilian life adjacent to the Lebanese border continues in full routine,” the IDF said in a statement.

Amid the rocket barrage, video footage showed a number of interceptor missiles from the Israeli Iron Dome defense system that was activated

Defense Minister Gantz is to hold a discussion with top military brass to review Israel’s potential courses of action following Friday’s attack, Channel 12 news reported.

On Wednesday, three rockets were fired into northern Israel from Lebanon. Two rockets hit open areas, while the third fell short of the border.

In response, the Israel Defense Forces fired artillery shells at targets in Lebanon just after the attack. Some two hours later it followed up with a second and a third round before conducting airstrikes toward “terror infrastructure” and rocket launching sites, according to the military.

Rocket fire from Lebanon has been exceedingly rare in the 15 years since the 2006 Second Lebanon War Israel fought against Hezbollah, though it has occurred sporadically. Recent months, however, have seen a slight uptick, with 10 launches aimed at Israel during May’s 11-day war in Gaza, as well as last month, leading to fears among some that the phenomenon could become more common, as has happened in areas on the Gaza border

Israel has conveyed to Lebanon via UN peacekeepers that it could intensify its response if calm is not returned to the border.

“Without getting into the identity of who shot the rockets, it’s clear that the Lebanese government bears full responsibility for any fire at the State of Israel’s territory,” the IDF said in a Hebrew-language statement. “The Lebanese state is lacking control over terror groups operating within it.”

Aaron Boxerman and Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Explore posts in the same categories: Uncategorized

This entry was posted on August 6, 2021 at 11:18 AM and is filed under Uncategorized. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.