CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK, LEDE; UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS; REVISES HEADLINE
By Zein Khalil
JERUSALEM (AA) – At least three Israelis were injured when 17 rockets were launched from Lebanon towards northern Israel on Saturday, according to Israeli media reports.
Israel Hayom daily reported that at least three people were injured when a rocket fell on a building in Deir al-Asad in the Lower Galilee in northern Israel.
Israeli Channel 12 said 10 rockets were fired from Lebanon, targeting northern Israel. While some were intercepted by Israeli defense systems, one rocket struck an open area near Rosh Pina, sparking a fire.
The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation confirmed that a fire had erupted in an open field between Safed and Rosh Pina in the Upper Galilee, as a result of the rocket landing.
Separately, the Israeli army reported intercepting a drone launched from Lebanon toward the western Galilee and also claimed a rocket impact in the Haifa area.
In a statement, the Israeli army reported that air defense systems intercepted a suspected hostile drone over the settlement of Adamit in the western Galilee. The incident followed alerts warning of incoming drones from Lebanese territory.
In a separate statement, the Israeli army said two rockets had been launched from Lebanon, one of which was intercepted by the air force, while the second landed in an open area near Haifa.
Earlier, the Israeli army claimed that five rockets were launched from Lebanon toward northern Israel.
In a brief statement, the Israeli army said that "following the sirens activated in Emek Yizrael and Wadi Ara, approximately five rockets were launched from Lebanon."
The army said some of the rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome defense system, while the rest landed in open areas. At the moment, no group has claimed responsibility for the rocket launch.
Initial assessments indicate that the rockets targeted the Ramat David Airbase, a strategic military facility located southeast of Haifa in the Emek Yizrael region, Israeli news outlet Walla reported.
There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah on the Israeli reports.
Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel's war on Gaza, which has killed over 41,800 people, most of them women and children, following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last October.
At least 2,011 people have since been killed, over 9,500 injured, and 1.2 million others displaced, according to Lebanese authorities.
The international community has warned that Israeli attacks in Lebanon could escalate the Gaza conflict into a wider regional war.
* Writing by Ikram Kouachi