Hezbollah launched a barrage of some 40 rockets at northern Israel on Thursday afternoon, in what the terror group said was a response to recent Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon, including the killing of one of its operatives earlier in the day.
The exchange of fire came as American intelligence expected a major escalation between Israel and Hezbollah in the coming weeks in the absence of a ceasefire with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Politico reported.
An unnamed senior US official told the outlet that the risk of war is higher than it has been for weeks. The officials said that a major attack by either side, which could spark a war, could happen with “little notice.”
Amid travel warnings from Washington and several European countries, two senior officials who spoke to Politico said the start date of a war was unclear, but that Israel was acquiring arms and building up forces quickly.
Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces said most of the rockets fired in the major barrage at the northern city of Safed and nearby communities were downed by the Iron Dome air defense system.
Police said that some of the rockets caused damage to property, and the Fire and Rescue Service said it was working to extinguish fires sparked by the attack.
Sirens had sounded in Safed and several towns in the Galilee amid the barrage, which Hezbollah claimed responsibility for.
In a statement, the terror group claimed to have launched dozens of Katyusha rockets at Israeli military bases in the Galilee.
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