UPDATE (Waj)
—————-
Several Israeli civilians, including children, were reported killed on Saturday afternoon after a Hezbollah rocket hit a soccer field in northern Israel.
The rocket strike took place in Majdal Shams, a largely Druze town in Golan Height. “At least nine young Druze Israelis died an many more were in critical condition,” the Israeli TV channel i24NEWS reported. This is the deadliest Hezbollah terror attack on Israel since October 7, Israeli media reports say.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed Hezbollah’s hand behind the deadly terror strike. “The Hezbollah terrorist organization is behind the rocket launch at a soccer field in Majdal Shams which caused multiple civilian casualties, including children, earlier this evening,” the IDF said in a press release.
The rocket attack in Golan Heights appears to be part of a bigger Hezbollah barrage across northern Israel, the Jerusalem Post reports:
The residents of several localities in Northern Galilee were told to stay near shelters, including in Nimrod, Neve Ativ, Odem, El-Rom, Merom Golan, Ein Zivan, Ortal, Sha’al, Qela Alon, and Ramat Trump Heights, according to military guidelines, following several barrages of rockets. Additionally, Wast Junction and Brown Junction in the area are closed to vehicle traffic.In the most recent barrage of rockets since the hit in Majdal Shams, 100 rockets were reportedly fired, according to the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Mayadeen network.
Less than a week after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) began evacuating parts of the humanitarian zone in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis, the military has expanded the counter-terrorism operation in the area.
The IDF describe the move as “temporary evacuation” of civilians to an adjacent safe area. The humanitarian zone in Khan Younis, created by the Israeli military to keep Gazans from the harm’s way, had turning into a safe haven for Hamas terrorists and a launchpad for firing rockets into Israel while the IDF is engaged in a battle to capture the nearby jihadist stronghold of Rafah.
“The Israeli military on Saturday issued fresh evacuation orders to Gazans in the southern city of Khan Younis, citing intelligence that Hamas terrorists have reembedded themselves the designated humanitarian zone,” the Israeli TV channel i24NEWS reported.
“Due to significant terrorist activity and rocket fire toward the State of Israel from the southern area of Khan Yunis, remaining in this area has become dangerous. Accordingly, at this time, the area will be adjusted,” the IDF announced in a press release Saturday morning. “The adjustment is being carried out in accordance with precise intelligence indicating that Hamas has embedded terrorist infrastructure in the area defined as a Humanitarian Area.”
The IDF has issues an “early warning to civilians” and was taking measures to “mitigate harm to the civilian population and keep civilians away from areas of combat,” the military said. “The calls for the temporary evacuation are being communicated to residents through SMS messages, recorded voice messages, phone calls, media broadcasts in Arabic and flyers,” the IDF assured.
In a statement released later on Saturday, the IDF disclosed the details of the ongoing operation in Khan Younis:
In Khan Yunis, IDF troops conducted targeted raids on terror infrastructure sites above and below the ground, locating large amounts of weaponry, including shoulder launched missiles, grenades, AK-47s and additional military equipment.During one of the operations, the troops identified a terrorist cell that carried out a failed launch. Shortly after the identification, and in cooperation with the IAF, the terrorists were eliminated in a strike.
Israeli ground troops continue to push against Hamas in Rafah terror stronghold. “Furthermore, over the past day, IDF troops continued precise, intelligence-based operational activity in the Rafah area. They conducted targeted raids on several military infrastructure sites and eliminated armed terrorist cells. Over the past two days, the troops eliminated dozens of terrorists,” the IDF statement added.
The Israeli Air Force struck a Hamas command and control center set up insides a United Nations-run school in central Gaza, the Israeli media reported Saturday.
The strike comes less than two weeks after Israel disclosed that Hamas had set up a terrorist base inside the Gaza headquarters of the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA.
“A Hamas command and control center embedded within a school in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah was struck by Israeli fighter jets a short while ago, the IDF said, adding that it took extensive measures to minimize civilian casualties,” The Times of Israel reported. “The military said that the command room it targeted was used by Hamas operatives to plan and carry out attacks against IDF troops in Gaza and against Israel.”
The IDF released the details of the strike on the Hamas base:
A short while ago, in a strike based on precise IDF and ISA intelligence, terrorists operating in a Hamas command and control center inside the Khadija school compound in central Gaza were struck by the IAF.Hamas terrorists used the compound as a hiding place to direct and plan numerous attacks against IDF troops and the State of Israel. In parallel, the terrorists developed and stored large quantities of weapons inside the compound.Prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of appropriate munitions, aerial surveillance and additional intelligence.
The revelation once again highlights how UNRWA has been allowing Hamas to use its facilities to conduct terrorist activities. This active collusion between Hamas and UNRWA has prompted some Israeli lawmakers to call for the branding of the disgraced UN agency as a terrorist organization.
Israel on Saturday morning shot down a Hezbollah drone reportedly approaching country’s offshore gas rig. In recent years, Iran-backed terrorist group has repeatedly threatened Israel’s maritime gas drilling operation.
“Israeli Navy shoots down Hezbollah drone in economic waters, suspected to be heading toward natural gas rig,” the Israeli news website YNET reported. The authorities were still accessing “whether UAV armed or conducting reconnaissance,” the news outlet added.
“A short while ago, an Israeli Navy Shayetet 3 missile ship, in cooperation with the IAF, successfully intercepted a UAV that entered from Lebanese territory into Israel’s economic waters,” the Israel military said.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY