Hezbollah Fires Rockets Into Nahariya, Acre, Haifa; Explosive Drones Wound IDF Soldiers

Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel targeting Nahariya, Acre and the Haifa suburbs, and the IDF Home Front Command instructed residents in the targeted area to seek shelter at about 2 p.m. on Friday.

“Terrorists in Lebanon fired rockets into Israel on Friday, targeting Nahariya, Acre and the Haifa suburbs, two days after Israel killed a senior Hezbollah terrorist in Beirut”

JNS.org

The IDF said an explosive drone launched by Hezbollah penetrated Israel and wounded two soldiers near the border, and it described the incident as “an additional violation of the ceasefire understandings by the Hezbollah terrorist organization.”

JNS.org

In a separate incident, Hezbollah launched several explosive drones that wounded one IDF soldier in Southern Lebanon, and the IDF said “The Israeli Air Force successfully intercepted one launch, and the mortar shells hit near the soldiers,” wounding none.

The Media Line reported that Hezbollah’s explosive drones wounded four IDF soldiers on Friday, including one seriously, and it said the soldiers were evacuated and their families were notified.

The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said the drone attacks were “another violation of the ceasefire understandings by the terrorist organization,” as Hezbollah’s actions continued alongside Israel’s stated posture toward northern Israel.

ynetnews said rocket sirens sounded across northern Israel on Friday afternoon as Hezbollah launched a rocket barrage toward the western Galilee, and it reported that one rocket was intercepted by air defenses while others landed in open areas.

Modern Diplomacy

ynetnews also said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that the Radwan force under Ahmed Ali Balout was responsible for firing at Israeli communities and harming IDF soldiers, adding that “no terrorist has immunity.”

The Media Line reported that earlier in the day several Hezbollah explosive drones detonated near IDF troops operating in southern Lebanon, and it said one soldier was moderately wounded and evacuated for medical treatment.

Israel said it killed a commander from Hezbollah during an airstrike on southern Beirut, marking the first Israeli attack on the Lebanese capital since last month’s ceasefire agreement, and it confirmed the strike took place in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

“BEIRUT Israel struck Beirut on Wednesday for the first time since agreeing to a ceasefire with Hezbollah last month”

The Arab Weekly

Modern Diplomacy reported that there was no immediate confirmation from Hezbollah regarding the commander’s death, while it said the strike increased concerns about the stability of the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

The Arab Weekly said Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam told Lebanon’s National News Agency that it was premature to talk of any high-level meeting between Lebanon and Israel, and it quoted Salam saying shoring up the ceasefire would be the basis for new negotiations.

In the same reporting, the Arab Weekly said US President Donald Trump announced a three-week extension of the ceasefire on April 23 and said he looked forward to hosting Netanyahu and Joseph Aoun, while it also noted that Salam said Lebanon was not seeking “normalisation with Israel, but rather achieving peace” and that “Our minimum demand is a timetable for Israel’s withdrawal,” as the ceasefire faced pressure from continued exchanges.