Middle East crisis: Hezbollah rocket targets Metula and Haifa, seven civilians die

At least seven people died in two separate Hezbollah rocket attacks in northern Israel on Thursday, media reports said.

The attacks occurred on agricultural fields located in Metula and Haifa.

Authorities told The Times of Israel that five people working in an apple orchard near the border town of Metula were killed when the rocket fired from Lebanon struck them late Thursday morning

Another person was injured in the attack.

The victims were all labourers who were working in the agricultural field.

One of the victims was an Israeli national while the rest were foreigners.

Israeli media identified the Israeli national as Omer Weinstein.

Authorities told The Times of Israel that in two more died in another Hezbollah rocket fire that hit an olive grove near Kibbutz Afek which is located close to Haifa city.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz reacted to the attack that took place in Metula and posted on X: “Five citizens were murdered this morning by direct fire from Hezbollah towards the Israeli town of Metula, including an Israeli farmer and four foreign workers. I send my condolences to the families.”

Israel Defence Forces said: “Hezbollah rockets killed 7 innocent civilians inside Israel today.”

“We will not let Hezbollah’s deadly attacks go unanswered,” the forces said.

Israel went on the offensive against Hezbollah after nearly a year of cross-border fighting that was sparked by the ongoing conflict with Palestine.

People in Lebanon continue to be killed, injured and displaced by airstrikes, hostilities and displacement orders, the UN aid coordination office, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said on Thursday.

Israel issued new displacement orders for several villages and Rashiedeh Palestinian refugee camp, located in the south of the country.

This marked the first time the Israeli army has called for the evacuation of a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, the UN agency said.

OCHA said the displacement orders on Wednesday and airstrikes in Baalbek and surrounding areas forced thousands to flee, with displacement continuing into Thursday.

Many of those affected spent the night in their vehicles, facing harsh conditions as they search for safety.

Meanwhile, the head of UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Catherine Russell, warned about the devastating physical and emotional impacts of the conflict on boys and girls.

“According to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, 166 children have been killed since October 2023, while at least 1,168 have been injured. This devastating tally grows by the day,” she said in a statement issued on Thursday.

Furthermore, since October 4 of this year, at least one child has been killed and 10 injured daily. Thousands more who have survived months of constant bombings are now acutely distressed by the violence and chaos surrounding them.