Iron Dome battery deployed in North (Photo credit: Ben Hartman, Jerusalem Post)

(Washington, D.C.) — “Four rockets were fired from Lebanon into Israel on Thursday afternoon,” reports the Times of Israel. “There were no immediate reports of casualties. The IDF promptly retaliated, attacking targets in south Lebanon, Lebanese media reported.”

” The red alert siren sounded in the cities of Nahariya, Acre, and Kiryat Shmona, and residents reported hearing explosions,” noted the Times. “One of the rockets fell on the outskirts of a small town near Nahariya. An Israeli Iron Dome battery intercepted a second rocket, Channel 2 reported. It was initially unclear where the other two rockets fell….Israel last week deployed a sixth Iron Dome battery north of Tel Aviv, with an eye to the missile threat from the north. The anti-missile system is a keystone in Israel’s air defense array and successfully intercepted hundreds of short- and medium-range missiles shot at Israeli cities during the conflagration in Gaza in November.”

The Jerusalem Post is reporting the number of rocket may be “three” or “four.”

Arutz Sheva, Israel’s National News channel 7, reported that IDF Radio was indicating that “bomb shelters in the northern city of Akko (Acre) have been opened for public use, and the IDF is urging residents of the north to remain close to shelters. The IDF has denied earlier reports from Arabic media that it responded to the rockets with artillery fire. Lebanese media has been reporting that at least 2 of the rockets were fired from the Ras al-Ain neighborhood of the city of Tyre. According to initial reports, one rocket was intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system, while three others struck in ‘open areas.'”

Haaretz notes that “two weeks ago, four IDF soldiers were injured in an explosion near the Lebanese border. According to a statement made by the Lebanese army the incident took place on the Lebanese side of the border.”

This is a developing story. I’ll post more details as they become known.

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