Intense Hezbollah rocket fire on Israel’s north kills one, wounds at least 10 Israelis
IDF soldiers continue to destroy large underground compounds in southern Lebanon
One man was killed, and at least 10 Israelis were wounded on Saturday during intense and sustained rocket fire and drone attacks by Hezbollah, targeting towns across northern Israel.
Alexei Popov (51), from Kiryat Haim near Haifa, sustained critical injuries and later died after being hit by shrapnel while crouching near his car. He had stopped his vehicle while driving on a road near Akko and left his car to take cover, following instructions from the Home Front Command.
A 28-year-old man suffered light-to-moderate injuries after being hit by shrapnel when a rocket struck his home in Kiryat Ata, according to Magen David Adom emergency services. Another two individuals were lightly injured in the same explosion.
Four other Israelis were wounded, including a man in moderate condition, in another rocket explosion in the Western Galilee. A house in Shlomi sustained a direct rocket hit.
The most notable target in Saturday's assault was Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's private residence in the coastal town of Caesarea, which, according to the Axios news outlet, was struck by a drone.
“The prime minister and his wife were not at the residence at the time of the attack and there were no casualties,” Netanyahu’s spokesman said. The IDF stated that three drones were launched in the attack, two of which were shot down by helicopters.
The attack came after Hezbollah announced a “new phase” in its attacks on Friday, in the wake of the elimination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar this week.
Since Friday evening, Hezbollah has fired more than 100 rockets and drones at Israeli towns.
Today, Hezbollah fired barrages of rockets, and this is what’s left of a home that was directly hit.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 19, 2024
Hezbollah fires rockets indiscriminately, and this is the result: pic.twitter.com/uSRNfr7bnP
Intense rocket attacks began on Friday evening (erev Shabbat) when a barrage of rockets struck the area of Meron before 20 more rockets were fired at Safed and Rosh Pina shortly before midnight. Early on Saturday morning, a drone crashed near the town of Merom Golan in northern Israel, likely fired from Iraq.
Hours later, multiple alarms were triggered across the Haifa Bay, Carmel Mountain, and Wadi Ara regions in northern Israel, following the launch of a single rocket or missile and several drones within a short time frame.
Towns along the bay, as well as further north in the Western Galilee, were targeted shortly after, at first by a barrage of about 20 rockets, followed by another 35 rockets.
Thirty additional rockets were fired toward Zar’it and Shtula, as well as Safed and nearby towns a short time after.
Israel Defense Forces has continued its slow advance across southern Lebanon, systematically destroying Hezbollah’s infrastructure close to the border.
On Saturday, the IDF announced that an officer in the 188th Armored Brigade was seriously wounded from a drone strike during a battle in southern Lebanon.
מטוסי קרב תקפו לפני זמן קצר, בהכוונה מודיעינית מדויקת של אגף המודיעין, מספר מחסני אמצעי לחימה ומפקדה של מטה המודיעין של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה בדאחייה שבביירות.
— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) October 19, 2024
טרם התקיפה ננקטו צעדים רבים על מנת לצמצם את הסיכוי לפגיעה באזרחים, הכוללים אזהרות מקדימות לאוכלוסייה באזור.
תקיפה זו… pic.twitter.com/GOlEUoLv9J
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi announced on Friday that the Israeli military has eliminated at least 1,500 Hezbollah terrorists since the start of ground operations in Lebanon earlier this month.
On Saturday evening, the Israeli military also announced fresh strikes in the Lebanese capital, targeting munitions warehouses and one of the intelligence headquarters of Hezbollah in Beirut’s Dahiyeh district.
“Before the attack, many steps were taken to reduce the chance of harming civilians, including advance warnings to the population in the area,” the IDF stated.
“This attack is another part of the ongoing effort to damage Hezbollah’s munitions warehouses and production sites in the Beirut area, which are located in the heart of the civilian population.”
Troops of the 91st Division located and destroyed a central underground complex of the Radwan Force using over 100 tons of explosives.
The compound contained a weapons storage room, scooters, living quarters, ammunition, and more. Dozens of weapons were discovered, including mines, anti-tank missiles, anti-aircraft missile launchers, grenades, RPG launchers, machine guns, Kalashnikov rifles, ammunition, and means of communication for guidance and observation.
During the operation, Israeli soldiers located and destroyed three additional underground compounds, destroying more than 50 shafts located in mosques, schools and civilian buildings.
In addition, the IDF located a munitions warehouse with hundreds of weapons. The troops destroyed dozens of buildings belonging to Hezbollah and eliminated terrorists.
On Friday, the IDF issued an airstrike that killed the deputy commander of Hezbollah’s Bint Jbeil unit. The troops found large amounts of weapons and ammunition in southern Lebanese villages, as well as in combat positions built in areas heavily overgrown with thick brush.
In what the IDF called its deepest operation in Lebanese territory so far, soldiers of the 98th Division captured and destroyed a large command post and an observation headquarters overlooking Israel's Upper Galilee region.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
