Rocket attacks from Lebanon kill 5 people in northern Israel

2024-10-31 15:15:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Five people were killed in southern Israel on Thursday as a result of rockets fired from Lebanese territory. Four of the dead are foreign workers, Israeli authorities announced.

The militant group Hezbollah has carried out drone and rocket attacks from Lebanon into Israel since Hamas – a terrorist group designated by the US and the EU – carried out an attack in Israel on October 7, 2023. The Hamas attack fueled the war in Gaza.

Hezbollah, which controls southern Lebanon, has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States, while the European Union has blacklisted its armed wing but not its political party.

Hezbollah and Hamas are allies supported by Iran. The conflict along the border between Hezbollah and Israel escalated into full-scale war last month, when Israel launched a wave of bombings across Lebanon and killed Hezbollah's top leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and most of his deputies. Israeli ground forces entered Lebanon in early October.

Metula's regional council announced Thursday's attack, without elaborating on the number or type of rockets used. Also, it is still not known from which countries the killed workers come.

Metula, the northern city of Israel, surrounded by Lebanon on three sides, has suffered extensive damage from rockets. The townspeople were evacuated in October 2023, and only security officials and farmers remain there.

Hezbollah's newly appointed leader, Naim Qassem, said the militant group will continue fighting Israel until conditions are met for a ceasefire he deems acceptable. About 1.2 million people have been displaced by the conflict in Lebanon, according to government estimates. Lebanon's Health Ministry said more than 2,800 people have been killed and 12,900 wounded since October 8, 2023, when Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel, prompting retaliation.

Israeli ground forces occupied southern Lebanon in early October.

The death toll from the year-long war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza has surpassed 43,000, Palestinian officials reported Monday. The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and kidnapping 250 others./ Rel