Hezbollah launches rocket barrage at north Israel in retaliation for civilian strike

Hezbollah has launched Katyusha rockets into northern Israel, retaliating against Israeli strikes that recently killed two individuals in southern Lebanon.

The escalation follows frequent exchanges of fire across the border after an October 7 attack by Hamas on southern Israel, leading to open conflict in Gaza. In a statement, Hezbollah declared that its barrage was a direct response to Israeli actions that targeted civilians, specifically mentioning an incident in Tayr Harfa.

Hezbollah additionally targeted an Israeli military base in the north, claiming responsibility for multiple rocket attacks, including a second barrage aimed at soldiers assessing earlier damages.

Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that the initial Israeli strikes on Tayr Harfa resulted in the deaths of two Lebanese—a first responder linked to a Hezbollah-allied group and a telecommunications technician. The first responder was part of the Risala Scout association, affiliated with the Amal movement, and the technician was employed by Power Tec, servicing the mobile provider Touch. The technician and his colleagues from another telecom company were performing maintenance on transmission poles under permissions granted by UNIFIL, the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Lebanon.

An affiliate from the Risala Scout association explained that the technician’s team was struck by a second Israeli attack while at the location, leading to casualties. A representative from Touch shared that they lost contact with their team following the strike on their station, which included both their personnel and outside maintenance workers, as well as paramedics.

Over the past seven months of heightened conflict, at least 402 people have died in Lebanon, including 79 civilians, while Israel has reported 14 military and nine civilian casualties. The ongoing violence has displaced tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border.