Katyusha rockets hit Galilee

IDF strikes in Lebanon, war in north continues: Six Katyushas landed Friday noon in the western Galilee region. Two of the rockets landed near Nahariya's cemetery and industrial zone. The other four landed in the area of Kibbutz Cabri, Kibbutz Gesher Haziv, Kibbutz Saar and the community of Ban Ami.

No injuries or damage were reported in the incidents, but several fires broke at the rockets' landing sites that are now being extinguished.

Earlier, serious damages caused interferences to the electrical grid in the Safed area, following the Katyusha rocket attacks on the town Friday.

The Electric Company is working in coordination with security officials to repair the damages and has called on citizens to keep their distance from torn power cables.

A Katyusha rocket barrage landed Friday morning in an open area in Moshav Biria, near Safed. There were no reports of injuries, and firefighters were working to put out the fire that started in the area.

Simulatneously, rockets were fired at Rosh Pina. There were no reports of injuries. Earlier, rockets landed in open areas near Kibbutz Baram in the Galilee panhandle.

A senior Hizbullah official told the al-Arabiya network that "the Lebanese resistance is preparing further surprises in response to Israel's bombardments tonight and this morning in Lebanon."

Asked whether Hizbullah plans to fire additional rockets at Haifa, the official added: "We promised to respond and we will stick by our commitments. The way to respond is up to our commanders in the field, and the enemy should prepare for surprises."

Houses hit by Katyushas in Thursday Friday (Photo: Doron Golan)

Shachar, 30, of Safed was home with his wife and three children when he heard the frightening explosions. The terrified family members said they were noq preparing to leave for Tel Aviv ahead of the weekend. "We heard the blast and the ambulances. We rushed the kids into the most internal room in the house, but they are still scared, especially because I don't have a security room here," he told Ynet.

A 37-yaer-olf man was killed Thursday by a direct Katyusha hit in Safed. His name has not been released yet, as his family was still not informed of his death.

The south was also on fire Friday morning: Five Qassam rockets were fired from the northern Gaza Strip, landing in the town of Sderot. One of the rockets fell near a factory in the Sha'ar Hanegev industrial zone and two landed in the center of the town. Several people suffered from shock and slight damages were caused to windows.

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The Home Front Command on Friday morning ordered the residents of Akko and neighboring cities to remain close to fortified buildings. In addition, all business owners in the north, apart from confrontation line communities, were called to open their businesses in order to allow the population to prepare for Shabbat. However, the Home Front Command called on the population to take notice of further instructions released on the media.

Some 35 people injured in Thursday's Katyusha barrage in Safed were still hospitalized at the Ziv Medical Center in the city. The condition of two remained serious, while the rest sustained light wounds. Some of the injured were expected to be released from the hospital later in the day.

An eight-year-old girl was transferred by helicopter Thursday from the Ziv Medical Center to the Rambam Medical Center after her condition deteriorated. Her condition was defined as serious and she was hospitalized at the intensive care unit. She was ventilated and anesthetized after undergoing head surgery.

Seventeen people were hospitalized at the Western Galilee Hospital in Nahariya, two of them in moderate to serious condition, and one of them a two-year-old boy. All the wounded suffered from shrapnel or shockwave injuries.

Some two million Israelis, residents of the country's northern communities, from Metula to Haifa, have been placed under the threat of Katyusha attacks since Thursday, after 120 rockets were fired at the Galilee. Two civilians were killed in the attacks on the north, a Nahariya resident and a Safed resident, and more than 100 people have been injured.

Terrorists fired a missile at Haifa for the first time Thursday, and IDF officials estimate that the Katyusha is Iranian-made. One person was treated for shock after the strike.

Residents of communities north of the Akko-Carmiel line were instructed to stay in shelters and security rooms throughout the night. In wake of the barrage on Haifa, the Home Front Command has asked residents of Haifa, Akko and neighboring towns not to leave their homes. The residents were also instructed to follow the news for instructions by the security forces.

Monica Lerer, 40, from Nahariya, was killed on Thursday after a Katyusha hit her house. Lerer, who was sitting at her porch on the fifth floor when the rocket struck, was thrown to the floor below by the blast and killed on the spot. Lerer immigrated to Israel about four years ago and has lived in Nahariya for two years with her spouse. She is survived by two daughters who remained in Argentina.

One man was killed and 21 were injured in a second Katyusha barrage that hit Safed. Three were seriously wounded and the rest were lightly injured. The man killed in the attack was evacuated in serious condition to the Ziv Medical Center in the city, where he died from his wounds a few hours later.

Nahariya, the day after

Nahariya residents awoke Friday morning to a new day, the great part of which will be dedicated to attending to the damages caused by the rocket attacks and to getting used to the old-new reality of an ongoing Katyusha threat.

Shop owners have opened their businesses this morning in order to allow residents to stock up food supplies ahead of the weekend. At about 8 a.m. the municipal alert system went off for the third time and the people were again ordered into the shelters.

Nahariya Friday morning. A ghost town (Photo: Niv Calderon)

"It's unacceptable that in large parts of Lebanon life go on as usual, while here we're sitting in shelters," one of the residents said. "The IDF must operate massively by air and by sea, and not hesitate to strike government buildings and symbols of the Lebanese government, in order to make the severity of the situation clear to them," he added.

In the town of Safed, the Katyusha landing sites have turned into centers of attraction for the residents, most of whom don't remember an attack of this scale on the city since the days of the Lebanon War.

Mayor Yishai Maimon has ordered the Municipality divisions to reinforce activity in the damaged areas and assist residents, a majority of whom are religious, to prepare for the Shabbat in case they are required to spend the holy day in shelters.

The town of Kiryat Shmona appeared like a ghost town Friday morning, with shops closed and residents refraining from leaving their houses.

Meital Yasur-Beit Or, Shmulik Hadad and Hanan Greenberg contributed to the report