Rocket barrage fired from Lebanon at N. Israel, Golan Heights, prompting shelter warnings

JERUSALEM, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) — Israeli media reported that more than 100 rockets were launched from Lebanon towards northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Friday afternoon, prompting the Israeli army to advise civilians in the region to stay close to bomb shelters.
Among the damage, a direct hit was reported on a building at a dairy farm in Kibbutz Ortal, located in the northern Golan Regional Council, an Israeli settlement in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. A power outage also occurred in Safed in Israel’s Northern District due to the barrage.
Sirens warning of rocket fire were activated in Safed, several nearby towns around the Sea of Galilee, and in Ortal in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Social media posts showed multiple interceptions by the Iron Dome defense system during what appeared to be a significant rocket attack from Hezbollah.
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah sharply escalated on Thursday, with both sides exchanging deadly attacks and vowing further retaliation after explosions from pagers and handheld radios across Lebanon on Tuesday and Wednesday resulted in 37 fatalities and left 2,931 individuals injured. Hezbollah attributed the explosions to Israel, while Israeli officials have not commented on the incident. ■