Thai man dies and another injured in blast, apparently caused by a munition previously fired by Hezbollah; IDF intercepts several drones from Lebanon
A 27-year-old foreign worker from Thailand was killed Friday and another worker was wounded when unexploded ordnance blew up in an orchard by the northern community of Kibbutz Yir’on in the Upper Galilee.
Security officials were still investigating but said they believed the cause was a munition previously fired by Hezbollah. It was not clear whether the blast was caused by one of the victims handling or interacting with the weaponry in some way.
The worker’s death was originally reported as being the result of an anti-tank missile attack from Lebanon, however, the Israel Defense Forces later issued a statement saying the results of its preliminary investigation indicated that ordnance on the ground had been the cause.
Friday also saw dozens of rockets fired at northern communities, triggering sirens in border towns, Haifa, Acre and other cities in the region.
Some of the rockets were intercepted, and others fell in open areas, according to the IDF.
One rocket appeared to have impacted in the Kiryat Bialik Industrial Zone, causing minor damage but no injuries.
Another rocket was fired toward Kiryat Shmona and fell in the area, the IDF said.
A fire broke out near Kibbutz Snir in the Upper Galilee as a result of a rocket attack. Firefighters were on the scene.
Also Friday morning, the Israeli Air Force intercepted two unmanned aerial vehicles launched toward Israel from Lebanon. The UAVs did not cross into Israeli territory and no sirens were activated, the military said.
Meanwhile, residents of several communities in northern Israel were briefly instructed Friday morning to remain indoors due to a suspected terrorist infiltration. The orders applied to residents of Rehaniya, Kerem Ben Zimra, Dalton and Kadita.
Security forces searched the area and after finding nothing, they rescinded the order.
In Lebanon, Israeli airstrikes continued to target Hezbollah commanders, rocket launchers and other terror targets.
The IDF sent another brigade into southern Lebanon on Friday amid ground operations near the border, and said in a statement that the unit had already destroyed Hezbollah tunnels, defensive positions and other enemy infrastructure.
Some 60,000 residents were evacuated from northern towns on the Lebanon border shortly after Hamas’s October 7 onslaught, amid fears Hezbollah would carry out a similar attack, and increasing rocket fire by the terror group.
Since October 8, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there.
The attacks on northern Israel over the last year have resulted in the deaths of 28 civilians. In addition, 33 IDF soldiers and reservists have died in cross-border skirmishes and in the ensuing ground operation launched in southern Lebanon in late September.
Two soldiers have been killed in a drone attack from Iraq, and there have also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries.
Hezbollah has named 516 members who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon but some also in Syria. Another 94 operatives from other terror groups, a Lebanese soldier, and dozens of civilians have also been killed.
These numbers have not been consistently updated since Israel began a new offensive against Hezbollah in September, including a ground operation in which the military says at least 450 Hezbollah operatives have been killed.
The IDF’s toll in the ground offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon and during operations on the border stands at 11.
As reported by The Times of Israel