Following a series of rocket interceptions over northern Israel, an Israeli airstrike in Beirut overnight reportedly targeted Hashem Safieddine, a potential successor to the late Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.
It remains unclear whether Safieddine was killed, but an Israeli official confirmed it to CNN on Friday.
Nearly two dozen projectiles were identified crossing into Israeli territory from Lebanon after sirens sounded in Haifa and the Galilee region.
Reuters video footage captured rockets being intercepted by Israel’s defense systems over the Haifa skyline around sunrise Friday.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that about 20 projectiles were detected between 7:01 a.m. and 7:04 a.m. local time in the Haifa Bay and Western Galilee areas. Most were intercepted, with “the rest falling in open areas,” the IDF said.
In Kiryat Yam, just north of Haifa, some shrapnel from the interceptions caused property damage, though Israel Police reported no injuries.
“Multiple projectiles” were also detected after 7:23 a.m., when alarms sounded in the Upper Galilee area. “Some of the projectiles were successfully intercepted and the rest fell in open areas,” the military added.
The extent of the damage from the projectiles remains unclear as investigations continue.
