Northern Israeli residents expressed anger and exhaustion Saturday morning after Hezbollah launched consecutive rocket barrages from Lebanon overnight, shattering what local officials called a ceasefire in name only and sending civilians back into shelters.
Sirens sounded in the Meron area around 6 a.m. Saturday, and the IDF said shortly afterward that it had intercepted a missile fired from Lebanon. It was the first time sirens were activated in the area since a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon took effect.
5 View gallery
Hezbollah rocket fired overnight damages local business in Kiryat Shmona
(Photo: Avihu Shapira)
5 View gallery
Hezbollah rocket fired overnight damages local business in Kiryat Shmona
(Photo: Avihu Shapira)
5 View gallery
Hezbollah rocket fired overnight damages local business in Kiryat Shmona
(Photo: Avihu Shapira)
Earlier, sirens sounded in Kiryat Shmona around 1:30 a.m. Additional rocket alerts followed about half an hour later. In all, Hezbollah fired 10 to 15 rockets overnight in four waves, the military said. All were intercepted except one that struck Kiryat Shmona.
Sirens also sounded in the border towns of Metula, Margaliot and Misgav Am. Some of the later launches were preceded by only a few seconds’ warning. Around 3:30 a.m., a rocket hit Kiryat Shmona. The military said there were no injuries and that two projectiles fired from Lebanon were intercepted in that barrage.
The Home Front Command later said the incident was over and residents could leave protected areas. The military later said it destroyed the launcher used by Hezbollah to fire rockets at Israel.
IDF strikes Hezbollah rocket launcher that fired into northern Israel overnight Saturday
(Video: IDF)
Doron Shnaper, spokesman for the Kiryat Shmona municipality, filmed a statement to residents from the impact site. “It is 4 a.m. Again, barrages on Kiryat Shmona,” he said. “We are after a barrage of 10 launches from Lebanon. Nine were intercepted and one rocket fell right here in the city center. There is very heavy damage to stores and businesses. Fortunately, there are no physical injuries. It was late and the businesses were closed.”
Shnaper urged residents to stay near protected areas and said municipal crews were inspecting impact sites. “Is this what a ceasefire looks like?” he said. “Residents entering safe rooms and shelters, businesses and stores destroyed? This is the collapse of the ceasefire. A ceasefire that does not exist. There is no ceasefire — not in Kiryat Shmona and not in the north. Only in Beirut and Lebanon. Someone should take responsibility for this. We are not sitting ducks.”
Dror Mosseri, a business owner whose property was damaged, said the sirens woke his family. “We observe Shabbat, but the sirens jolted us awake, the whole house,” he said. “A few moments later, we realized it had fallen here near us. The force was enormous. I thought it was in the yard, in the backyard. It is heartbreaking.”
5 View gallery
Hezbollah rocket fired overnight damages local business in Kiryat Shmona
(Photo: Kiryat Shmona municipality)
5 View gallery
Hezbollah rocket fired overnight damages local business in Kiryat Shmona
(Photo: Kiryat Shmona municipality)
The rocket fire toward the Galilee Panhandle came about an hour after talks ended at the Pentagon between Israeli and Lebanese military delegations. Al Mayadeen, a Hezbollah-affiliated network, quoted a Lebanese source as saying the Lebanese delegation “did not receive its demand for an actual ceasefire.” The source said Lebanon demanded a ceasefire while Israel refused to withdraw from Lebanese territory and insisted on Hezbollah’s disarmament.
The talks are not expected to resume Saturday. Elbridge Colby, the U.S. undersecretary of war, wrote on X that the discussions were “productive,” adding that the United States appreciated the cooperation of the Israeli and Lebanese militaries and expected the sides to reconvene soon for further security talks.