Hezbollah Launches Dozens of Rockets at Northern Israel

Latest Developments

The Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah launched dozens of rockets at northern Israel on July 7, wounding a farmer in the central Galilee and igniting several fires. The initial barrage in the morning included at least twenty rockets that targeted areas up to twenty miles south of the Lebanese border. “The Magen David Adom (MDA) ambulance service reported that first responders were treating and transporting a 28-year-old farmer from an agricultural field near Kfar Zeitim to the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya. The man was in serious condition with shrapnel injuries,” the Israeli website Ynet reported. Hezbollah’s attacks also caused several fires to erupt in the Tiberias area of northern Israel. Later on July 7, another barrage of more than twenty rockets targeted Mount Meron, the site of an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) air traffic control base that Hezbollah has often attempted to strike.

Expert Analysis

“Hezbollah launched barrages of rockets on July 7 targeting areas in the northern and central Galilee region of Israel. Hezbollah claims that it targets Israeli military sites; however, the attacks threaten civilians and sound widespread sirens throughout civilian towns and villages. Hezbollah continues to show that it is not deterred by Israel’s retaliations and that it refuses to reduce its attacks.” — Seth J. Frantzman, FDD Adjunct Fellow

“The recent rocket fire into central Galilee is unlikely to alter the trajectory of the war in the north. At present, it appears that neither Hezbollah nor Israel is poised to make significant military moves that could risk escalating the conflict into a full-scale war. The current stalemate in the north will likely persist, with both parties focusing on maintaining their current strategic positions.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal 

Hezbollah Rocket Fire Follows Days of Escalation

Hezbollah claimed via a statement published by Iranian media on July 7 that it had targeted an IDF base in northern Israel. Hezbollah’s attack likely retaliated against the IDF’s July 6 strike which killed Maytham Mustafa al-Attar — believed to be a key operative in Hezbollah’s air defense unit — in Lebanon’s Baalbek region. Hezbollah’s attacks follow days of escalation including the launch of numerous drones targeting northern Israel on July 6. On July 4, Hezbollah launched two hundred rockets and twenty drones at Israel, purportedly in response to the IDF killing a key Hezbollah commander, Muhammad Nimah Nasse, in Tyre, Lebanon, on July 3.

“Hezbollah Launches 200 Rockets, 20 Drones at Israel in Lethal Attack,” FDD Flash Brief

“Iran’s Foreign Minister Threatens Israel With ‘Hell’ if War with Hezbollah Escalates,” FDD Flash Brief

“Hezbollah Deputy Leader Hedges on Gaza-For-Lebanon Tradeoff,” FDD Flash Brief