Friday, March 29, 2024

Hezbollah fires rockets at north, as IDF holds surprise drill for war


Hezbollah fires rockets at north, as IDF holds surprise drill for war



The Hezbollah terror group continued to batter northern communities with multiple rockets throughout the day Thursday, triggering incoming rocket sirens, and drawing shelling by the army in response.

In the afternoon, two rockets fell in the communities of Shlomi and Goren, causing heavy damage to property, the Ynet news site reported. No injuries were reported in the barrages. Northern communities have been largely vacated amid the long months of cross-border fire.

A video shared online showed damage in Goren to a house and a car near the impact site.

Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces said it carried out a surprise exercise aimed at preparing the military for war in the north.

The drill, led by the Operations Division, involved all the IDF’s commands, wings and directorates, as well as the General Staff.

“The purpose of the exercise was to strengthen the IDF’s readiness for various scenarios in the northern arena,” the military said.

In the afternoon, a Patriot air defense system successfully intercepted a “suspicious aerial target,” likely a drone, that was heading toward Israel from Lebanon, the IDF said.

Amid the incident, one of the Patriot missiles exploded over northern Israel. The IDF said the incident was under investigation.

The Israeli Air Force is in the midst of closing down several of its aging Patriot batteries, and its staff will be trained to operate on the Iron Dome instead.

Meanwhile, in Syria, two people were injured in alleged Israeli airstrikes on Thursday near the town of al-Bahdaliyah, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria’s Defense Ministry said.

In a statement, the ministry said that the strike led to “material losses” in a residential building.

Images posted to social media showed smoke rising from a targeted site.

The White House called Thursday on Israel and Lebanon to make it a high priority to restore calm amid the escalating exchanges.

“Restoring calm along that border remains a top priority for President Biden and for the administration and it has to be of utmost importance, we believe, as well for both Lebanon and Israel,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters








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