Hezbollah fires rockets at Israel after 4 family members killed in South Lebanon attack
Beirut: Four members of a family were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a border village in southern Lebanon on Sunday, security sources said.
In retaliation, Hezbollah fired Katyusha rockets at the northern Israeli city of Kiryat Shmona, near the Lebanese border.
The four family members killed in Mays al-Jabal were identified as Fadi Hunaika and Maya Ali Ammar and their sons Mohammed, 21, and Ahmed, 12.
The attack occurred after the family took advantage of the easing of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel to return to their properties to assess the damage and move goods from their supermarket to a location outside the village.
Two men on a motorcycle look at buildings damaged by an Israeli strike in the southern Lebanese border village of Mays al-Jabal, amid cross-border tensions as fighting continues between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, May 5, 2024 . (AFP)
A security source in the area told Arab News that while the family was collecting groceries from a supermarket, an Israeli military drone spotted them and attacked them, destroying the area and killing all members of the family and Many nearby civilians were injured. ,
The source explained that villages in the area were empty because “residents fled the area seven months ago.”
He said: “When residents want to enter these villages to attend the funerals of the victims, they send their names and car number plates to the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL, who in turn protect these funerals (from attacks).” To coordinate with the Israeli side.
“Normally, people cannot enter border villages without incurring the Israeli threat, as Israeli reconnaissance aircraft and drones are hovering over the area 24/7. However, what Israel did against this family constitutes a horrific genocide.
Hezbollah responded to the incident by launching dozens of Katyusha and Falak missiles at Israel. The group said the operation was “in response to a crime committed by Israel in the village of Mays al-Jabal.”
The Israeli Upper Galilee Regional Council announced that the missiles targeted buildings in Kiryat Shmona, while Israeli Army Radio reported that some rockets fell inside the city, causing power outages.
An Israeli military spokesman said 65 rockets were fired from southern Lebanon toward Israeli settlements in the Upper Galilee region.
Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes hit the villages of al-Addisa and Kafr Kila, while artillery shelling hit the village of Aitaroun.
Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rahi called for an end to the war in southern Lebanon in his Sunday sermon, urging an end to “the demolition of homes, the destruction of shops, the burning of the land and its crops, and the killing and displacement”. . Destruction of the livelihoods of innocent civilians and their economic conditions that have already made them poor.”
Meanwhile, Mohammed Raad, leader of Hezbollah’s parliamentary faction, expressed his disapproval of the West’s support of Israel.
He said Israel “does not face any international resistance.” On the contrary, some people support it in committing crimes.”
He accused those supporting Israel of being “hypocrites and liars, who falsely claim human rights, civilization and progress in the West, (yet) they provide Israel with financial aid, weapons, smart bombs and a constant air bridge.” provide.”
Raad concluded: “We are not afraid of Israel’s madness. We are ready to confront them directly. We are ready to sacrifice and shed blood to defend our motherland, freedom and honour.