Hezbollah Launches Rocket and Drone Attacks on Israeli Military Targets in North as Both Sides Report Violations of April Ceasefire

Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets and launched drone attacks into northern Israel on Saturday, striking Safad and Nahariya for the first time since the ceasefire began on April 17. Channel 13 reported that warning sirens sounded 1,099 times in northern Israel since the ceasefire started. Israeli media described “utter chaos” and an “uncontrollable situation” in the north following the attacks.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu scheduled an urgent security assessment with Defence Minister Israel Katz, military Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, and northern commanders on Saturday. The Israeli army was surprised by the scale of the rocket fire and by Hezbollah’s decision to change its fire policy in response to the expansion of Israeli ground operations in southern Lebanon, Channel 13 said.

Hezbollah said it launched 24 attacks on Saturday targeting invading troops, military vehicles, and infrastructure.

The group said it fired multiple rocket barrages at the Kiryat Shmona settlement and claimed strikes on five Merkava tanks, a military bulldozer, and military infrastructure in Safad, Nahariya, and Karmiel. Hezbollah also claimed attacks on the Meron air surveillance base and army barracks at Liman, Shomera, and Ya’ara.

The group said it carried out multiple ambushes and multi-weapon attacks around Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, Yohmor al-Shaqif, Debel, and al-Ghandouriyah.

Hezbollah said it launched drone attacks targeting Israeli soldiers near the settlement of Natua and at the Galilee Forest military camp. Netanyahu described Hezbollah drones as a “major threat” because of the difficulty in detecting them. ” Ben-Gvir said he opposed the previous ceasefire with Lebanon and stated: “Dear Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, I love and appreciate you, but now is the time to level the suburbs to the ground.

We have appreciation for Trump and we must say thank you for the partnership. ” Lebanon’s prime minister Nawaf Salam accused Israel of pursuing a “scorched-earth policy” in south Lebanon. ” President Trump said any peace deal with Iran must adhere to his “red lines,” including Iran agreeing to never develop nuclear weapons and the reopening of the blockaded Strait of Hormuz.

An unidentified White House official said: “President Trump will only make a deal that is good for America and satisfies his red lines. ” A White House Situation Room meeting on Friday discussed a potential Iran peace deal, but Trump made no decision.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said on Saturday that Washington is “more than capable” of restarting the war if necessary and that “our stockpiles are more than suited for that,” while attending a defence summit in Singapore.