Hezbollah launched more than 100 rockets at Israel on September 4, the largest escalation since the group launched several hundred rockets on August 25.
The attacks took place amid shifts on other fronts as Israel handles Iranian-sponsored threats. For instance, Iranian-backed militias in Iraq claimed to launch a drone targeting Israel, and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is in its second week of extensive operations against terrorist groups in the West Bank. The Hezbollah attacks also happened as Israel reportedly continued to seek a way to reduce tensions and clashes in the north during talks with US officials.
The attacks on September 4 began in the morning when sirens sounded in the community of Shamir in the Huleh Valley due to a drone threat. Just before noon, rockets targeted Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel near Lebanon. The city was evacuated in October 2023 due to Hezbollah attacks. Footage and reports said there were several rocket impacts in Kiryat Shmona. Later in the day, Hezbollah’s attacks spread to the west near the community of Shtula, which sits directly on the Lebanese border and has frequently been targeted by anti-tank missile fire over the last 10 months. In the evening, Hezbollah shifted its targeting back to the area near Kiryat Shmona.
The IDF said that the first large barrage, around noon, included 65 rockets. “The IDF Aerial Defense Array successfully intercepted some of the projectiles, and some fell in open areas. A number of projectiles fell in the area of Kiryat Shmona. A number of fires were ignited by fallen projectiles, and the Israel Fire and Rescue Services are operating at the scene,” the IDF said, also stating that it had carried out retaliatory strikes.
Later in the day, the IDF said Hezbollah launched around 30 rockets. “Some of the projectiles were intercepted, and some fell in open areas. The Israel Fire and Rescue Services are currently operating in the area to extinguish a fire that erupted in the area of Kfar Blum due to the fall. No injuries were reported,” the IDF stated.
The IDF said it struck Hezbollah rocket launchers in Kounine and Qabrikha and Hezbollah terrorists operating out of a structure in Houla, all in southern Lebanon. The IDF hit the structure in Houla, but it was unclear if there were casualties.
Hezbollah claimed it had targeted an IDF post in northern Israel and a barracks located near Beit Hillel, which is not far from Kiryat Shmona. The group typically makes similar statements claiming to target specific military locations after an attack using unguided rockets.
The latest escalation by Hezbollah was not entirely unexpected. The group has been increasing its attacks slowly over the past week. On September 3, it carried out drone attacks, and the IDF intercepted one of the drones. Hezbollah also targeted the Bedouin village of Arab al-Aramshe with rockets. On September 2, the group launched around 30 rockets at northern Israel, the IDF said in a statement that day. There was a similar attack on September 1. In all those incidents, the IDF carried out various retaliatory strikes targeting “military infrastructure” and other Hezbollah sites. IDF artillery also fired on Kfarchouba and Chebaa in southern Lebanon, the IDF said on September 1.
In addition to Hezbollah’s attacks on September 4, the IDF said it intercepted a drone flying toward Israel from the east, referring to the attack carried out by an Iranian-backed group in Iraq.
While Israel focuses on multiple fronts, including Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon, IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzi HaLevi hosted the Italian chief of the defense staff, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, on September 3. Dragone also met with IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Major General Amir Baram.
“During the visit, the Chief of the Defence Staff received strategic and security briefings from IDF officers, with a focus on the situation along the northern border and recent operational events,” the IDF said. The meeting was one of several the IDF has held with foreign militaries during the war, geared toward deepening relations with Western allies.
