Air-raid sirens blared across northern Israel on Wednesday night amid claims of drones and paragliders crossing the border from Lebanon.
Alerts were set off in cities including Haifa, Tiberias, Beit She’an, Kiryat Shmona, Metula, Nahariya and Safed.
Simultaneously, a Home Front Command directive sent to the phones of millions of Israelis sent people rushing to bomb shelters across the nation amid fears of a large-scale attack.
“Further to the reports of intrusion from the Lebanese border into Israel’s airspace, as of now fear of intrusion has been ruled out,” the Israel Defense Forces said over 90 minutes after the alerts first went off.
According to Israel’s Channel 12 News, 15 to 20 drones had crossed into the Jewish state from Lebanon. Reports were also received of terrorists on paragliders landing in northern Israel.
“No hits have been detected in Israeli territory and no casualties have been reported,” the IDF noted.
“IDF forces are scanning the area from the ground and from the air, added the statement.
The IDF Home Front Command had instructed residents to the north of Haifa to lock themselves in their homes and dim lights.
אזעקות הופעלו גם בחיפה; חשש שכמה כלי טיס חדרו מגבול הצפון | תיעוד היירוטים@rubih67 pic.twitter.com/qTOvhHS17f
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) October 11, 2023
Concurrently, a suspected terrorist infiltration alert was activated in Kibbutz Ma’ayan Baruch, near Kiryat Shmona. In the adjacent community of Moshav Beit Hillel, residents reported hearing gunfire.
The IDF also announced a long-range rocket was launched from the Gaza Strip towards Israel’s north, which landed in an open area in the Carmel region near Haifa, causing no damage.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened the Security Cabinet at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv.
Earlier on Wednesday, terrorists in Southern Lebanon fired anti-tank missiles at an Israeli military position near the border, the IDF said.
Hezbollah took responsibility for the attack, Arab sources reported.
“A short time ago, anti-tank guided missile fire was detected from Lebanese territory toward a military post near [the Israeli Bedouin village of] Arab al-Aramshe on the Lebanese border,” the IDF said.
“An IDF aircraft attacked an observation post of the Hezbollah terrorist organization,” the army said. The IDF also fired artillery at targets in Lebanon, it added.
The Lebanese terrorist organization has been testing the waters, initiating a series of fire exchanges as the Jewish state fights Hamas terrorists on its southern border.
On Tuesday evening, the Iran-backed terror group fired anti-tank missiles across the border with Israel. An IDF helicopter gunship responded by attacking a Hezbollah post.
“The IDF is prepared for all scenarios in all arenas, and will continue to operate in order to protect Israeli civilians,” stated the military.
This is a developing story.