Rocket fire from Lebanon kills five people in the deadliest attack on northern Israel since the invasion

TEL AVIV, Israel — Rocket fire from Lebanon killed five people in northern Israel on Thursday, including four foreign workers, in the deadliest attack since Israel’s invasion earlier this month.

The militant group Hezbollah has fired rockets, drones and rockets into Israel and carried out retaliatory attacks since Hamas’ attack from the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023 sparked the war there. Hezbollah and Hamas are allies, supported by Iran.

The conflict along the border escalated into full-blown war last month when Israel launched a wave of heavy airstrikes across Lebanon, killing Hezbollah’s top leader Hassan Nasrallah and most of his deputies. In early October, Israeli ground forces entered Lebanon.

The Metula Regional Council reported Thursday’s attack, without providing details on the number or type of projectiles used. The nationalities of the workers were also not immediately known.

Metula, Israel’s northernmost city, surrounded on three sides by Lebanon, has suffered heavy rocket damage. The city’s residents were evacuated in October 2023, with only security officials and farm workers remaining.

The attack came as senior US diplomats were in the region to push for a ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza, hoping to end wars in the Middle East in the final months of the Biden administration. The mediators are circulating new proposals to end the regional conflict.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army warned people to evacuate from more parts of southern Lebanon as airstrikes killed at least eight people across the country.

Also Thursday, Palestinian officials said that three people were killed in an Israeli raid on the occupied West Bank. The Palestinian Health Ministry said two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli attack and a third by Israeli gunfire.

The Israeli army said its forces were targeting militants in the area of ​​the Nur Shams refugee camp, where there has been repeated fighting in recent months. The army said it has eliminated a Hamas militant involved in planning attacks on Israelis.

Also Thursday, Israeli police said they arrested a couple accused of spying on Israeli intelligence sites and gathering information about an Israeli academic on behalf of Iran.

Hezbollah’s newly appointed leader, Naim Kassem, said the militant group will continue fighting its war with Israel until it is offered a ceasefire it 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 injured since October 8, 2023, when Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel, prompting retaliation. In early October, Israeli ground forces invaded southern Lebanon.

The death toll after more than a year of war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza has passed 43,000, Palestinian officials said on Monday, without distinguishing between civilians and fighters. The war began after Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people – mostly civilians – and kidnapping 250 others.

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Frankel reported from Jerusalem.

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