At least, no fewer than seven people were killed on Thursday in one of Hezbollah’s deadliest rocket attacks in recent months targeting northern Israel.
The casualties included an Israeli farmer and four Thai agricultural workers near Metula, a town bordering Lebanon, according to Israeli and Thai authorities.
The Israeli military reported detecting two projectiles from Lebanon landing in an open area near Metula. The deceased farmer has been identified as Omer Weinstein, a 46-year-old father of four from Kibbutz Dafna.
Thailand’s Foreign Minister, Maris Sangiampongsa, confirmed that four Thai nationals lost their lives, with a fifth injured in the incident.
In a separate attack, an Israeli woman, Mina Hasson, 60, and her son Karmi, 30, were struck and killed while working in an olive grove near Kibbutz Afek, roughly 65 kilometres southwest of Metula.
Paramedics Mazor and Yishai Levy recounted, “We provided medical treatment and performed resuscitation but unfortunately, we had to pronounce both of them dead.”
Hezbollah claimed responsibility, stating it launched rockets toward the Krayot area, north of Haifa.
The Israeli military indicated that a barrage of 55 projectiles was aimed at multiple northern locations, some intercepted and others landing in open spaces.
This escalation adds to a series of cross-border clashes with significant casualties.
On Wednesday, a rocket reportedly struck a UN peacekeeping base in southern Lebanon, causing minor damage but no injuries.
Irish Premier Simon Harris condemned the attack, stating that “peacekeepers are protected under international law.”
Amid the intensifying violence, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with U.S envoys to discuss a potential ceasefire, underlining the need for safety measures for northern Israeli residents displaced by the hostilities.
To date, over 60 individuals have been killed in northern Israel due to Hezbollah’s rocket attacks while Lebanese authorities report over 2,800 deaths on their side since the conflict escalated.
