Violence escalated in the Middle East during the Passover holiday as Hezbollah militants fired 130 rockets at Israel over Wednesday and Thursday, leaving four civilians with minor injuries while Israeli forces responded with operations in Lebanon that wounded two soldiers.
Emergency medical services reported casualties from two separate rocket strikes on Thursday. A direct hit on a building in Kiryat Shmona left a 34-year-old and an 85-year-old with minor injuries, according to Magen David Adom.
Another rocket impact in the northern community of Bi’ina caused light injuries to two men, ages 30 and 40. Additional rockets targeted the coastal city of Nahariya, with Israeli news outlets confirming that a kindergarten was among the structures hit. Emergency teams located two additional impact zones, though air defense systems successfully intercepted most of the incoming projectiles.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a stark warning to Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem regarding the continued aggression during the Jewish holiday. Following a security briefing with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and senior military officials at the underground command facility beneath the Kiyra compound, Katz declared that Qassem would face a “very heavy price” and would end up “at the bottom of hell” with other eliminated members of Iran’s proxy network.
Israeli military officials confirmed that two soldiers received light wounds during combat operations in southern Lebanon. The injuries occurred during what the IDF described as a “targeted ground operation” by the 162nd Division aimed at strengthening Israel’s forward defensive positions, during which Israeli troops eliminated a Hezbollah fighter in close combat.
In a related development, Yemen’s Iran-supported Houthis took credit for launching a ballistic missile they claimed was aimed at “vital Israeli enemy targets” in the Tel Aviv region. However, Israeli defense forces reported the Yemen-launched missile actually activated warning sirens in Jerusalem before being successfully intercepted, with no casualties reported.
