By YAAKOV LAPPIN
A Katyusha rocket fired from southern Lebanon struck the Upper Galilee on Tuesday evening, causing a deafening explosion and setting a field on fire, but failing to cause casualties or significant damage.
Locals reported hearing a powerful blast at approximately 6:45 p.m.
The rocket slammed into a field not far from Kiryat Shmona, 3 km. from Lebanon. It was reportedly fired from the Mount Dov (Shaba Farms) area.
The IDF immediately shelled the Lebanese territory from which the projectile was launched, using several rounds of artillery, the IDF Spokesman's Office said.
It was not immediately clear who fired the rocket, though initial assessments by Israeli defense officials were that a Palestinian group was responsible.
Hizbullah is widely assumed to be aware of such attacks, which take place periodically. Security officials believe the group has a policy of turning a blind eye to rocket fire on Israel from areas under its control.
A few hours before the attack, Defense Minister Ehud Barak toured the North and praised the "nine years of calm we have had" in the region, "which were interrupted for a number of painful weeks during the Second Lebanon War."
"I hope that we can continue this quiet," he said, but warned that Israel was "preparing for other possibilities, including the possibility that you [the residents of the North] will be tested again."
Barak said the state of bomb shelters in Kiryat Shmona had improved dramatically in recent years.
The Home Front Command's air raid siren was not activated by the attack. Channel 2 reported that the alert system had been switched off, since it was prone to giving a high number of false alarms. Home Front Command technicians have been trying to fix the glitches.
Jpost.com staff contributed to this report