Hezbollah strikes Nazareth in rocket attacks; fires break out: 'Threatening countless holy places'
In a series of coordinated attacks, Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel's Jezreel Valley early Sunday, targeting multiple locations, including Haifa, Ramat David air base, Nazareth, Afula and the lower Galilee.
"Another barrage of Hezbollah rockets at Nazareth. The hometown of Jesus, a town which is 70% Muslim & 30% Christian and almost entirely Arab," noted American Evangelical leader Johnnie Moore, president of the Congress of Christian Leaders, on social media.
"For months Hezbollah has been targeting the Galilee, the geographic heart of Jesus' ministry."
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Hezbollah just hit Nazareth.
— Rev. Johnnie Moore ? (@JohnnieM) September 21, 2024
The hometown of Jesus.
Hezbollah’s rockets continue to also target the Christian heartland of Israel, threatening countless holy places.
pic.twitter.com/LUuIIwy46N
The barrages occurred at about 1:10 a.m., 4:48 a.m. and 5:10 a.m., with social media and local reports confirming impacts and subsequent fires across the region, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Army Radio described the attack on the Ramat David base near Haifa as unprecedented, a first in the ongoing conflict, and reported that the Israeli Defense Forces retaliated by striking targets in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah, via a message on Telegram, admitted to specifically targeting the Ramat David base and airport as a reprisal for recent Israeli Air Force operations in Beirut that resulted in the deaths of several of its top commanders and several others.
In July, Hezbollah published drone footage of the Ramat David base, detailing the layout and capabilities of what Hezbollah described as one of Israel's most crucial air force bases.
According to IDF sources, the early morning offensive resulted in about 40 rockets being fired over four barrages.
Reports from Moshav Sde Ya'akov indicated rocket impacts, and a significant fire was reported in Kfar Baruch, later confirmed by various Israeli media outlets. The Emek Jezreel regional council noted minor property damage due to one of the rocket impacts in the area.
Further reports by the independent public broadcaster KAN revealed a rocket impact in Nazareth, which led to a large fire elsewhere within the city limits.
The Magen David Adom service reported that a 60-year-old man sustained minor shrapnel injuries in the Lower Galilee during the attacks.
In a separate incident, a barn in Beit She'arim was hit during the third rocket barrage, resulting in the deaths of several cows, as reported by both KAN and GLZ Radio.
In light of the ongoing rocket threat, Israel Police have issued a public warning to avoid handling rocket debris, which may contain unexploded ordnance.
Meanwhile, residents of Kiryat Tivon faced additional challenges as they found public shelters locked and inaccessible during the attacks.
Discrepancies in the reported scale of the attack emerged as Al Hadath, a Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese outlet, claimed that 100 rockets were fired towards Haifa and the Upper Galilee. In contrast, the IDF maintained that the number was significantly lower, estimating around 10 rockets.
The Home Front Command noted that the sirens activated during the attack were the first in over nine months for Afula.
Newly issued restrictions in response to the attacks limited public gatherings to 30 people outdoors and 300 indoors from Haifa northward, with the possibility of further restrictions based on Hezbollah's actions.
Strong reactions emerged on social media.
Moore noted the cultural and religious significance of Nazareth. In a tweet, the Evangelical leader underlined that these attacks "also target the Christian heartland of Israel, threatening countless holy places."
"Many of Hezbollahs rockets are flying into Arab areas of Israel, threatening as many Muslims and Christians as Jews," he wrote.
Former journalist and writer Miha Schwartzenberg also commented on the situation, lamenting the ongoing threat to civilian lives and commending Israel's efforts to protect its populace amid the conflict.
"Almost 80 000 people live there. Families, children. … As we speak, they are all in shelters. A situation that NO COUNTRY in the world would find it acceptable," she wrote on X. "God bless the IDF and Israel for fighting to protect the Muslim, the Christians, the Jews and everyone else living in Israel, in Gaza, in Lebanon."
"Don't be surprised that I mention the enemies too - NOBODY is protecting their lives more than ISRAEL. Any single casualty in any of these countries is on the terrorists hands, sick minds and military capabilities supported entirely by the most dangerous regime in the Middle East - Iran."
