In a series of coordinated attacks, Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel’s Jezreel Valley early Sunday, targeting multiple locations, including Haifa, Ramat David air base, Nazareth, Afula and the lower Galilee.
“Another barrage of Hezbollah rockets at Nazareth. The hometown of Jesus, a town which is 70% Muslim & 30% Christian and almost entirely Arab,” noted American Evangelical leader Johnnie Moore, president of the Congress of Christian Leaders, on social media.
“For months Hezbollah has been targeting the Galilee, the geographic heart of Jesus’ ministry.”
The barrages occurred at about 1:10 a.m., 4:48 a.m. and 5:10 a.m., with social media and local reports confirming impacts and subsequent fires across the region, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Army Radio described the attack on the Ramat David base near Haifa as unprecedented, a first in the ongoing conflict, and reported that the Israeli Defense Forces retaliated by striking targets in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah, via a message on Telegram, admitted to specifically targeting the Ramat David base and airport as a reprisal for recent Israeli Air Force operations in Beirut that resulted in the deaths of several of its top commanders and several others.
In July, Hezbollah published drone footage of the Ramat David base, detailing the layout and capabilities of what Hezbollah described as one of Israel’s most crucial air force bases.
According to IDF sources, the early morning offensive resulted in about 40 rockets being fired over four barrages.
Reports from Moshav Sde Ya’akov indicated rocket impacts, and a significant fire was reported in Kfar Baruch, later confirmed by various Israeli media outlets. The Emek Jezreel regional council noted minor property damage due to one of the rocket impacts in the area.
Further reports by the independent public broadcaster KAN revealed a rocket impact in Nazareth, which led to a large fire elsewhere within the city limits.
The Magen David Adom service reported that a 60-year-old man sustained minor shrapnel injuries in the Lower Galilee during the attacks.
In a separate incident, a barn in Beit She’arim was hit during the third rocket barrage, resulting in the deaths of several cows, as reported by both KAN and GLZ Radio.
In light of the ongoing rocket threat, Israel Police have issued a public warning to avoid handling rocket debris, which may contain unexploded ordnance.
