Hezbollah rockets hit Haifa, Israel’s third-largest city, on Monday in the first direct attack on the city since the conflict began.
Hezbollah’s ‘Fadi 1’ missiles landed in Haifa early Monday morning as the country began to mark the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 massacre. Two rockets hit Haifa and five more hit the city of Tiberias, which lies about 40 miles away.
‘This was the first real hit in the city,’ Haifa’s mayor, Yona Yahav, said in a statement.
Israeli media said 10 people were injured across the two cities, and police in Haifa confirmed reports of minor injuries as well as damage to buildings.
In response, Israel says IDF fighter jets struck targets they said belonged to Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters in Beirut.
The exchange of fire comes as Israel continues to issue warnings about a response to Iran’s massive missile attack against Israel that occurred last week. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant issued an ominous warning to Iranian officials during an interview with Fox News on Sunday.
During an exchange with Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst on Sunday, Gallant promised that Israeli forces are considering all options in terms of its response to Iran’s attacks against Israel, including potentially striking Iranian nuclear sites.
‘At the moment, everything is on the table,’ the Israeli official said. ‘Israel will respond to the unprecedented Iranian attack in the manner of our choosing, and at the time and place of our choosing.’
President Biden told reporters last week that he would not support a strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities, but said Israel had the right to act ‘proportionately’ to Iran. On Saturday, Vice President Kamala Harris vowed to send $157 million of ‘additional assistance’ to Lebanon, which, she claimed, is ‘facing an increasingly dire humanitarian situation.’
‘I am concerned about the security and well-being of civilians suffering in Lebanon and will continue working to help meet the needs of all civilians there,’ Harris said.
Reuters contributed to this report.