Hezbollah fires 100 rockets at Israel after IDF airstrike deep inside Lebanon

Hezbollah fired two heavy barrages of around 70 and another 30 rockets at northern Israel in the span of two hours on Tuesday morning, after the IDF struck targets deep inside Lebanon the evening before.

Both of the rocket salvos fell in open areas in the northern Golan Heights and the northern tip of the Upper Galilee, causing no injuries or significant damage.

המטח לצפון: כמה מהרקטות יורטו, אחרות נפלו בשטחים פתוחים. לא דווח על נפגעים בגוף | עדכונים שוטפים >>> https://t.co/xHEW42wpMc@rubih67 pic.twitter.com/0fPuKJDgv2

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) March 12, 2024

The first barrage was the largest yet fired by the Lebanese terror group during the current conflict, which began when Hezbollah opened hostilities against Israel in support of Hamas last October.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the attacks and said it fired over 100 Katyusha rockets in response to the Israeli attacks in the Beka'a Valley, some 100 kilometers (about 62 miles) inside Lebanese territory, that allegedly killed a civilian.

Shortly after the series of barrages, the IDF announced that its fighter jets struck three rocket launchers in southern Lebanon that took part in the attacks.

מטוסי קרב תקפו לפני זמן קצר שלושה משגרים מהם בוצעו שיגורים לעבר רמת הגולן הבוקר pic.twitter.com/fyFXxBC5wm

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) March 12, 2024

The rocket attacks followed an IDF announcement on Monday evening that the Israeli Air Force (IAF) had struck two Hezbollah compounds in Baalbek in the Beka’a Valley, part of the Shiite Hezbollah heartland around 100 km (62 miles) north of the Israeli border.

The compounds were part of Hezbollah’s aerial forces that were involved in the terror group's plans to attack Israeli forces, the IDF stated.

The Saudi newspaper al-Arabiya later reported that the targets were warehouses containing advanced attack drones.

מטוסי קרב תקפו לפני זמן קצר שני מתחמים של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחב הבקעא שבעומק לבנון. המתחמים משויכים לכוח האווירי של חיזבאללה שתכנן והוציא לפועל מתווים שונים אל עבר שטח מדינת ישראל.

התקיפות בוצעו בתגובה להפעלת כלי טיס של חיזבאללה לעבר רמת הגולן במהלך הימים האחרונים pic.twitter.com/rPMC4KZsbE

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) March 11, 2024

According to the Israeli army, the strikes came in response to drone attacks launched against targets in the Israeli Golan Heights over the last several days.

Lebanese sources reported that at least six people were injured in four separate attacks carried out by Israel in Baalbek. According to local Channel 14 news, Hezbollah operates one of its main headquarters staffed by senior officials in the area.

This is the second confirmed Israeli attack in the Beka’a Valley region, two weeks after the first such attack when Hezbollah shot down an Israeli 'zik' drone (Hermes 450).

Those were the deepest Israeli attacks in Lebanon since the start of the war. Army Radio reported that Israel hasn't attacked targets this far north since the Second Lebanon War in 2006.

On Tuesday Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah met with a Hamas delegation led by Gaza's Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s deputy, Khalil al-Hayya, in Beirut.

The parties discussed the latest developments in the Gaza Strip, as well as in Judea and Samaria (West Bank) while agreeing with Hamas that a hostage release deal would be dependent upon Israel agreeing to a complete ceasefire, the KAN news outlet reported.

Tuesday’s large-scale attacks followed barrages of a similar size fired at Israel last Sunday. Hezbollah’s attacks over the last weeks have revealed a change in tactics, moving away from anti-tank guided missiles to unguided rockets.

“The escalating Israeli operations in southern Lebanon pushed the Hezbollah operatives, including staff members and not just its elite Radwan force, away from the frontlines on the border,” said KAN's Arab Affairs Correspondent Roi Kais.

“This creates problems and a challenge for Hezbollah regarding the direct flight path toward Israeli targets of the anti-tank missiles,” Kais explained and said he believes as the IDF pushes Hezbollah further from the border, Israel should anticipate a rise in rocket attacks.