Rockets hit Carmiel; false sirens heard in Haifa

Ninth day of war – northern communities continue to suffer: A rocket barrage was fired Thursday morning at the Carmiel area. The rockets landed in an open area. There were no reports of injuries or damage.

Earlier, a siren was heard in the city of Tiberias Thursday morning and residents reported hearing several blasts in the area. Police forces patrolled the and found one rocket. 

At around 11 a.m., five rockets hit open areas at the entrance to an Upper Galilee kibbutz. There were no reports of injuries or damage.

At around 2 p.m., a siren was heard in Haifa, but no rockets fell in populated areas. Some rockets may have landed in open areas.

Ynet received reports from Haifa residents on blasts heard in the city before the siren was activated. Sirens also tore through the Nahariya, Akko and Western Galilee areas. Residents were instructed to enter bomb shelters.

A siren was heard earlier also in Haifa and the Western Galilee area at 5:30 a.m., and residents were called to enter bomb shelters and reinforced rooms. However, no rockets landed in the city, but the sirens caused great anxiety among residents.

Ever since Katyusha rockets landed in Tiberias on Saturday, the city's tourism routine has been interrupted. Immediately after the rockets landed, tourists and Israelis began leaving the city and a convoy of cars lined up on the roads leading south.

Those who stayed in the city found themselves facing an abandoned Lake Kinneret and deserted hotels.

2 children killed in Nazareth

Brothers Ravia Taluzi, 3, and Mahmoud Taluzi, 7, were killed Wednesday afternoon when a Katyusha barrage hit the town of Nazareth. The rockets pummeled the town, hitting various neighborhoods. The two children were playing near their house when the rocket hit.

The two casualties Wednesday raised the civilian death toll since the beginning of the fighting to 16. Magen David Adom reported that 76 people were injured in rocket attacks on the Valley area, including 26 who suffered form shock.

Only a few hours earlier, Matans Taluzi took his two little brothers to play soccer.

“They were walking faster than me, running down the street. Suddenly I heard a blast and that’s it, they were dead. And then I was hurt a bit too and they took me to the hospital,” Matans told Ynet.

Matans tried to hold back his tears. “My little brothers are shahids. That means they’re little kids who haven’t seen anything yet, so their place is in heaven,” he said.

And inside Lebanon, war continues: On Wednesday night, at least 12 Israel Air Force warplanes dropped a reported 20 tons of bombs on a bunker in south Beirut where senior Hizbullah leaders were thought to be, the military said.

According to Hizbullah's television station al-Manar, no senior organization leaders were killed in the strike.