Two people were killed in Kiryat Shmona on Wednesday due to a rocket attack, as Hezbollah launched dozens of rockets into northern Israel. In response, Israeli military forces directed heavy air and ground fire at the militant group.
This marked the first deadly attack on civilians since hostilities between Israel and Lebanon escalated late last month. On the same day, five others were injured in a significant rocket barrage aimed at Haifa.
In southern Lebanon, Israeli troops continued their operations, engaging in close combat with Hezbollah forces and conducting airstrikes against operatives responsible for the death of an officer last week. The Israel Defense Forces reported that three soldiers were seriously wounded during recent fighting.
Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the strikes, including the one on Kiryat Shmona, which targeted what they described as “enemy forces” near the Galilee Panhandle. The IDF confirmed that around 20 projectiles were launched toward Kiryat Shmona, with some impacting within Israeli territory.
The victims, identified as Revital Yehud, 45, and Dvir Sharvit, 43, were walking their dogs and could not reach a shelter in time. Medics declared them dead at the scene, according to the Magen David Adom rescue service. Their deaths are the first civilian casualties from Hezbollah rocket fire since early August, when a student was killed by an errant interceptor missile.