Hezbollah fired a heavy barrage of 30 rockets on Wednesday from Lebanon into the North, including Kiryat Shmona, killing one Druze-Israeli man and wounding two others.
The terror group said it fired the rockets – which also caused property damage – in response to an Israeli attack in southern Lebanon on the terror group Jama’a Islamiya, which killed seven members, in a new round of escalation over the last several days.
Magen David Adom paramedics said they extracted the body of 25-year-old Zahar Bashara, from the Druze village of Ein Kania in the Golan Heights, from one of the rocket collision sites.
Bashara was found without signs of life following a direct hit from one of the rockets. He had worked in Kiryat Shmona’s industrial sector.
Mota’aya Azzam, a lifelong friend of Bashara, said, “It is so sad and difficult to process that he is not with us. He was an honorable, sincere man with a good heart who loved to work with his friends and believed wholeheartedly in coexistence. He always said, ‘We don’t have much time in this world. As long as we are here, let’s fill it with good.’ He felt an obligation to work. He would say, ‘Soldiers go out and fight – I will do what I can.’”
Statement from the police
The IDF noted that its Northern Command hosted a conference and drill to better prepare for battle scenarios with Hezbollah. Northern Command chief Maj.-Gen. Uri Gordin said his forces were ready to attack Hezbollah with greater force at any time.
The IDF noted that its Northern Command hosted a conference and drill to better prepare for battle scenarios with Hezbollah. Northern Command chief Maj.-Gen. Uri Gordin said his forces were ready to attack Hezbollah with greater force at any time.
All of this comes as the IDF and Hezbollah have seen another round of escalations in the last 72 hours, with 12 Lebanese terrorists killed and multiple Lebanese drone bases destroyed deep in the country, with casualties also on the Israeli side.
In these recent rounds, Hezbollah has fired over 110 rockets at Israel, signaling that despite its losses of over 300 of its forces to date, it is not close to bending to Israel’s desired outcome regarding security for the northern border.Close to 20 Israelis have been killed to date by Hezbollah since October.
A Kiryat Shmona municipality spokesperson extended the council’s condolences and reiterated safety protocols to those still in the area. Police also called on residents “to avoid approaching the sites, not to touch or handle any rocket debris that may contain explosive material, and to report immediately to the Israel Police’s 100 emergency hotline.”
MK Gideon Sa’ar said the attack was “yet another reminder of the costs of war. In the middle of it all is the suffering of the evacuees and the collapse of businesses.”
Separately on Wednesday, the IDF said a Hezbollah drone had crashed near Rosh Hanikra. It said it did not know when the drone was launched or what activities it had carried out. The incident is being probed.