An Israeli examines the destruction at the site of a rocket attack, launched from Lebanon, in the Kibbutz of Maagan Michael, south of Haifa, on October 22, 2024. — AFP
Hezbollah claimed responsibility for firing rockets into northern Israel, including a military base near Haifa, on Saturday after the Israeli army reported a barrage of projectiles originating from Lebanon. Hezbollah declared that a 'large salvo' of advanced rockets struck a military base east of Haifa, vowing to escalate attacks on Israel as the all-out war, which began on September 23, continues. The Iran-backed group also stated that it launched a rocket salvo on the northern town of Safed following the Israeli army's report of 115 projectiles fired from Lebanon targeting the country on Saturday. The projectiles were primarily directed at northern Israel, causing sirens to sound repeatedly across the region. Israeli emergency services reported that a man was killed by shrapnel near the port city of Acre. Five individuals were injured in Kiryat Ata, within the Haifa district, mostly due to shrapnel wounds, according to a spokesperson for emergency service provider Magen David Adom. A rocket damaged a three-storey building and destroyed cars in Kiryat Ata, prompting the dispatch of firefighting teams and ambulances to the scene, as shown in AFP footage. The attacks in northern Israel occurred as Israel reported a drone targeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence in the central Israeli town of Caesarea on Saturday. Netanyahu's office confirmed that neither the prime minister nor his wife were present during the drone attack, and 'there were no injuries.' The Iran-backed Hezbollah announced on Friday that it was initiating a new 'escalatory phase' in its conflict with Israel. Last month, Israel significantly intensified its air strikes on Lebanon and deployed ground forces following nearly a year of cross-border exchanges. Lebanon's health ministry reported that two people were killed on Saturday in an Israeli strike on a vital highway north of Beirut, marking the first attack in the area since Hezbollah and Israel began exchanging fire last year. Since late September, the ongoing war has resulted in at least 1,418 deaths in Lebanon, according to an AFP tally based on Lebanese health ministry figures, though the actual death toll is likely higher.
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