Terrorist militia Hezbollah fires rockets at towns in northern Israel

Hezbollah has made good on its threat: in response to the killing of a Hamas leader, it launched rocket attacks across northern Israel. Months of terror continue for the residents on the border – many are worn down.

Just yesterday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah made it clear in his speech: The killing of Hamas official Saleh al-Aruri in Beirut would not go without reaction and punishment. This morning the reaction followed: More than 40 rockets were fired from Hezbollah positions into Israel. There was a rocket alarm in numerous cities in northern Israel.

More than 70,000 Israelis have already been evacuated from their villages and towns along the border with Lebanon and Syria. Kiryat Shmona also resembles a ghost town. Ofir Yehezkeli, the deputy mayor, describes the situation as untenable.

He feels that Hezbollah has the upper hand at this moment because the city has been evacuated. “We absolutely have to change this situation,” demands Yehezkeli. “The fact that we have evacuated the residents here is a success for Hezbollah. This cannot continue.”

Constant bombardments since October 7th

The residents of Kiryat Shmona rarely return to their homes. If so, it’s usually just to get a few things. Among them is Eitan Palvari, who looks at windows that have shattered due to the pressure waves from the detonations. “We came back to get clothes and things for the winter. You can see that a lot of rockets hit here,” he says.

After Hamas terrorists attacked Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7th, killing hundreds of Israelis, residents in northern Israel were also continuously bombarded by Hezbollah positions, says Palvari. “The entire area was under very heavy shelling. We all left our homes, our businesses.” The whole city is now deserted. “Just a few frightened people come here quickly to take a few things with them. And then they quickly leave again.”

Hamas leader appeals for support

Hezbollah only wants to stop the shelling when Israel ends its military offensive in the Gaza Strip. Which is not to be expected. During the night and in the morning there was again heavy fighting throughout almost the entire Gaza Strip. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh spoke in a video message from Qatar’s capital Doha.

He directly addressed various Arab countries where US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to visit in the next few days as part of his Middle East crisis diplomacy. “We hope that the responsible brothers in the Arab and Islamic countries who meet with the US Secretary of State will make it clear to the American government that the future and stability of our region are closely linked to our Palestinian cause,” Haniyeh urged.

UNICEF speaks of a deadly cycle

Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip remains catastrophic. UN emergency relief coordinator Martin Griffiths said much of the Gaza Strip was in ruins and had now become uninhabitable. The UN children’s fund UNICEF also finds dramatic words. Fighting, malnutrition and lack of health care have created a deadly cycle that threatens more than 1.1 million children in the Gaza Strip.