Hezbollah launches massive 215 rocket barrage at northern Israel in retaliation for killing of senior commander

Rockets trigger alarms across northern communities, wildfires in Biriya Forest

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After Israel Defense Forces carried out an airstrike in southern Lebanon on Tuesday night, killing a senior Hezbollah commander, the terror group responded with one of the largest rocket barrages since the start of the Oct. 7 war in Gaza as Israelis celebrated the Shavuot holiday.

For the first time during the war, the city of Tiberias, which lies some 35 km (20 miles) from the Lebanese border, was also targeted by Hezbollah.

Sirens began sounding across northern Israel on Wednesday morning and continued throughout the day, with the rocket launches totaling around 215 in the evening.

A first volley of around 100 rockets targeted the area of Safed and the surroundings of the Sea of Galilee. The IDF said that several rockets were intercepted, while others fell in open areas and caused wildfires.

A video shared on social media shows rocket impacts near the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel amid the major barrage launched from Lebanon. pic.twitter.com/KkAG1eHt5X
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) June 12, 2024

Another barrage of around 70 rockets targeted the area of Mount Meron, the site of a strategically important IDF radar base that has been targeted numerous times already.

The next volley was launched at Kibbutz Zar'it, with approximately 10 projectiles crossing into Israeli territory from Lebanon, several of which the IDF intercepted.

Approx. 160 projectiles were identified crossing from Lebanon into northern Israel a short while ago. Several fell in various locations, causing fires to break out and a number of projectiles were intercepted. pic.twitter.com/WJYH7Hi0ty
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 12, 2024

Then, an anti-tank missile hit a factory in Kibbutz Sasa, causing some damage, before a Hezbollah drone exploded in an open area near the town of Zivon.

Alarm sirens continued blaring across northern Israel almost at an hourly rate, with the rockets launched at Israel totaling some 215 in the evening.

An anti-missile system fires interception missiles as rockets fired from Lebanon, as it seen from the northern Israeli town of Rosh Pina, June 12, 2024. (Photo: Ayal Margolin/Flash90)

Police block a road after missiles launched from Lebanon hit open areas in the Galilee area, northern Israel, on June 12, 2024. (Photo: Michael Giladi/Flash90)

While no injuries were reported as a result of the bombardment, Israel Fire and Rescue Services operated in multiple areas with up to 25 firefighting teams and eight planes to extinguish fires that broke out as a result of the launches.

בהמשך להתרעות שהופעלו בצפון הארץ לפני זמן קצר, זוהו כשבעים שיגורים שחצו משטח לבנון.
חלקם יורטו, מרבית השיגורים נפלו בשטחים פתוחים, זוהו נפילות במספר מרחבים בצפון הארץ, הפרטים בבדיקה.
אין נפגעים>> pic.twitter.com/f82uPc6VAI
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) June 12, 2024

The IDF immediately responded by shelling the launch areas with artillery.

After one of the volleys, Israel Air Force fighter jets struck the launcher used to fire projectiles from the area of Yaroun in southern Lebanon.

Later, four Hezbollah sites in the area of Yater, from which projectiles were fired at northern Israel, were also struck, as well as another launcher in the area of Hanin.

מטוסי קרב תקפו לפני זמן קצר ארבע תשתיות טרור של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחב יעטר שבדרום לבנון, ממנו בוצעו שיגורים לעבר צפון הארץ מוקדם יותר היום.

במקביל, מטוסי קרב תקפו במרחב חנין שבדרום לבנון משגר נוסף ממנו בוצעו מוקדם יותר היום שיגורים לצפון הארץ>> pic.twitter.com/kt060GLdHL
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) June 12, 2024

The massive barrage began Tuesday night, following the killing of Abdallah. Videos on social media showed Iron Dome aerial defense batteries engaging and destroying large numbers of incoming projectiles.

These are not fireworks to celebrate the holiday of Shavuot. These are our aerial defense systems defending our civilians against a barrage of Hezbollah rockets in northern Israel. pic.twitter.com/Z6hoGDvpT8
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 11, 2024

As of Wednesday afternoon, 12 firefighting teams continued to battle the flames in the Biriya Forest in northern Israel, alongside firefighting aircraft and teams from the Jewish National Fund (JNF), the Nature and Parks Authority, and the Israeli military.

According to reports, firefighters gained control over one of the fires near Kadita, after it damaged several homes and necessitated the evacuation of the residents.

It is still burning east of Mount Meron in Kadita pic.twitter.com/BX8BIlH2NU
— MenchOsint (@MenchOsint) June 12, 2024

In the evening, another fire broke out on the slopes of Mount Hermon, caused by shrapnel falling after the IDF shot down two more drones launched by Hezbollah.