- September 22, 2024
- 11:28 am
- Israel
On the night of September 22 and into the early morning hours, Israel faced one of the most powerful attacks from Hezbollah in recent memory. The militants launched four massive salvos of rockets into the northern areas of the country. The attacks began at 1:10 a.m. and continued into the morning with strikes at 5:00, 5:10, and 6:09 a.m. A total of 110 rockets were fired, 85 of which were fired after 6 a.m. Although Israel's air defenses were able to intercept most of the rockets, several reached their targets, causing damage and casualties.
One of the first salvos was aimed at the IDF Air Force base in Ramat David, but the air raid siren also covered more than 70 towns, including major cities such as Afula, Yokneam, Nof HaGalil, Kiryat Tivon and Ramat Yishai. In Kiryat Bialik, one of the rockets exploded, wounding three people: two elderly men and a 16-year-old girl. All were taken to Rambam Hospital in Haifa with shrapnel wounds. In addition, debris from one of the rockets caused a fire near Nazareth, where one person was also slightly injured.
Particularly alarming is the fact that Hezbollah militants used Fadi-1 and Fadi-2 rockets, which have not previously been used in conflicts with Israel. In a statement, the group said the attacks were in response to “Israel’s crimes against the people of Lebanon.” The attacks were accompanied by red flags raised by militants in southern Lebanon, symbolizing their thirst for revenge for recent attacks on the Radwan Forces, Hezbollah’s special forces, and the killing of its leaders in Beirut.
During the shelling, explosions and interceptions were also heard in Akko and the Krayot. Power outages were reported in Afula due to rocket strikes. The alert in the north of the country remained in effect throughout the shelling, and at around 6:09 a.m., the early warning system (Tzeva Adom) was again activated in dozens of settlements. Significant damage was caused to infrastructure during these attacks: one of the shells hit a cowshed in a moshav in the Jezreel Valley, injuring several animals and damaging property.
In Kiryat Bialik, where one of the rockets also hit, several buildings were seriously damaged, including a residential building. Three people were injured by shrapnel, including a man in his 70s and a 16-year-old girl, who were quickly taken to Rambam Medical Center. A car collision also occurred on Highway 77 during the alert, killing a 17-year-old and injuring several others.
Municipalities in northern Israel, including Haifa, Kiryat Ata and Migdal HaEmek, have decided to cancel classes in schools and kindergartens. Migdal HaEmek Municipality said: “We will not take any risks. The safety of our children comes first.” Similar measures were taken in other northern cities, such as Karmiel and Kiryat Tivon. Municipalities also cancelled classes in special education institutions and temporarily suspended public transportation in some areas.
As of the morning of September 22, the IDF continued to carry out precision strikes against Hezbollah launch sites in southern Lebanon. According to Israeli intelligence, these sites contain several thousand rockets ready to be launched toward Israel. The IDF is actively working to prevent further attacks and to disable as many of these rockets as possible before they are used.
In light of the ongoing escalation of the conflict, the Israel Home Front Command announced on the morning of September 22 a series of restrictions on educational activities and public gatherings in northern areas of the country, including the Golan Heights, Upper and Lower Galilee, Haifa Bay and the border areas with Lebanon. In particular, classes in schools were canceled, and public gatherings were allowed only in small groups of up to 30 people outdoors and up to 300 people indoors. Beaches were temporarily closed to the public, and businesses were advised to remain open only in areas where it was possible to quickly take refuge in secure spaces.