WhatsappHezbollah showered more than a 200 rockets on Israel by late afternoon. Many of these rockets hit the center of the country as well as northern population centers. At least two direct hits in both Naharia and Petach Tikvah were reported.
Three people were injured today (Sunday) in Petah Tikva, including one moderately injured, as a result of a fall in the city. The condition of the remaining injured was described as light. In addition, MDA updated that following alarms in the Upper Galilee, rescue teams provided medical treatment to a man aged 60 in moderate to serious condition with a shrapnel injury.
The increasing barrage of rocket attacks from Hezbollah comes as the IDF continues to make gains in southern Lebanon, with reports coming that the first IDF soldiers have now taken the Litani River at its closest point to Israel. The IDF has also reportedly captured the Shiite stronghold of Khiam south of the Christian city of Marjaayoun. This has effectively cut off the southern Beqqa Valley which is dominated by Druze and Christians from Shiite majority southwestern Lebanon.
With the IDF nearly halfway to Tyre and no real ceasefire in sight, Hezbollah is sending as many rockets as possible into Israel’s population centers. Despite the rumors of a ceasefire, Netanyahu’s government is not falling for the Biden administration’s backhanded partnership with the Hezbollah controlled Lebanese government to force a dangerous and premature ceasefire onto Israel. Hezbollah’s claims that they want a ceasefire are only happening due to the IDF’s push into the Shiite heartland and the cutting off of the major smuggling routes from Syria through the Beqqa into southwestern Lebanon, mainly at the now liberated Shiite village of Khiam.
Over the last few days there has been a series of media appearances by prominent Maronite Christian leaders in Lebanon urging the non-Shiite Lebanese to work with Israel in partnership. If Israel stands firm on saying no to a ceasefire, these voices will continue to grow stronger and perhaps bring real change for the first time since both Lebanon and Israel gained independence. After all, it is clear if given a choice to either live under a Shiite dominated Lebanon or a democratic Israel, the Maronites and Druze in southern Lebanon would rather be under Israeli control.
