Despite a fragile ceasefire, Hezbollah fired a barrage of several rockets at northern Israel on Friday, triggering sirens that sent tens of thousands running for shelter in the Western Galilee and Haifa Bay area, with no reports of injuries.

According to the Israel Defense Forces, one of the rockets was intercepted by air defenses, while the others struck open areas.

The military called the rocket fire “another violation of the ceasefire understandings by the Hezbollah terror organization.”

The attack came shortly after the IDF warned it expected Hezbollah rocket fire on the north in response to the killing of Ahmed Ghaleb Balout, the chief of the terror group’s elite Radwan Force in Beirut on Wednesday, who the military said had advanced plans to invade the Galilee.

Hezbollah took responsibility for the rocket fire, claiming to have targeted an Israeli military base south of Nahariya, and confirming that it was a response to the strike that targeted Balout.

The Israeli Air Force subsequently struck a Hezbollah rocket launcher used in the barrage, according to the military, publishing footage of the strike.

סגירת מעגל: חיל האוויר תקף את המשגר ממנו ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה שיגר רקטות לעבר יישובי הצפון pic.twitter.com/ktRqfKZFdA — צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) May 8, 2026

סגירת מעגל: חיל האוויר תקף את המשגר ממנו ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה שיגר רקטות לעבר יישובי הצפון pic.twitter.com/ktRqfKZFdA

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) May 8, 2026

As of Friday afternoon, there were no changes to the Home Front Command’s guidelines for civilians.

Meanwhile, three soldiers were wounded, including one seriously, by explosive drones launched by Hezbollah, the military said.

In one incident, the IDF said a Hezbollah drone exploded in Israeli territory, close to the border with Lebanon, seriously wounding........

© The Times of Israel