Eight IDF soldiers were wounded Friday when a rocket fired by Hezbollah struck an outpost near the Lebanon border, the military said.
The soldiers were evacuated to Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya. The IDF said five were initially listed in serious condition at the scene, while the others sustained moderate and light injuries.
The hospital later said four soldiers were in serious condition, one in moderate condition and the rest lightly wounded. Among the injured was a son of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who was lightly hurt.
A security official estimated that about 60 Hezbollah operatives were killed in Lebanon the previous day.
Officials assess that Hezbollah may expand its attacks after already launching continuous drone and rocket fire toward northern communities and occasionally further south.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said after a security assessment that residents of the north should remain in their homes and communities despite the attacks.
“Residents in the state do not abandon their homes, their land or their communities,” Katz said. “The role of the army is to protect civilians, and we will do so until Hezbollah is defeated one way or another.”
In a separate incident a day earlier, the IDF said an officer and a soldier from the Givati Brigade were seriously and moderately wounded by anti-tank missile fire in southern Lebanon. The military said Hezbollah fired more than 10 anti-tank missiles at two IDF positions from several launch sites about 7 to 8 kilometers away.
The IDF responded with heavy fire from land, air and sea as part of preplanned response procedures developed by Northern Command after the previous conflict in Lebanon.