Israel Matzav

Seven Israeli civilians killed this afternoon in Akko (Acre) and Tarshisha

Seven Israeli civilians were killed in a 130-rocket barrage from Hezbullah between 4:00 and 5:30 this afternoon. The Israelis were in Akko (Acre), Kiryat Shmona, and near Ma'alot. The Jerusalem Post is reporting that a total of 180 rockets were fired today. As of 6:20 PM Israel time, you will not find this news on the home pages of the New York Times (whose headlines are Israel hitting Beirut, Blair saying that the UN will soon 'resolve' the 'crisis' and Muslims holding talks on the 'Middle East crisis' complete with a picture of Ahmadinadinnerjacket, but no word about what he said earlier today) or the Washington Post (which is concerned about Israeli war planes pounding the Beirut suburbs), and I wonder if you will find it there later today or tomorrow either. Hopefully, America gets its news elsewhere. Someone I spoke to is convinced otherwise; she believes that everything the bloggers have discovered about Qana doesn't matter because the New York Times doesn't say that so no one will believe it. Hence, I made that comment.

Three people were killed when a rocket crashed directly into a house near the northern town of Tarhisha, and another four were killed when a rocket exploded near their vehicle in Acre. They had apparently just gotten out of the car because they heard a warning siren go off. According to YNet two of the people killed were a father and his daughter. But Arutz Sheva is reporting that two of the victims in the Akko attack were reportedly in a shelter when they heard a Katyusha fall; they went out to see what happened, and were killed by a follow-up rocket.

For those of you in Israel, the IDF Homefront Command continues to remind citizens to remain in their shelters when the sirens sound, and to remain there for at least 15 minutes.

Thirteen people were seriously wounded, and another 15 lightly wounded, in rocket strikes in Acre, Horfesh and Kiryat Shmona.

HaAretz is reporting that a total of 150 rockets were fired by late afternoon Thursday, 120 of which fell between the hours of 4 P.M. and 5 P.M. The hardest hit towns were Nahariya, Ma'alot and Kiryat Shmona. Rockets also landed in Haifa, the Golan Heights, Rosh Pina and Safed.

Hezbullah fired more than thirty rockets across the north on Thursday morning, hitting Kiryat Shmona, Haifa, the Ma'alot area and the Golan Heights.

Rocket alert sirens were triggered in cities and other communities across northern Israel during the mid-morning and early afternoon.

Eight rockets hit the Ma'alot area around 2:00 AM Thursday in the first nighttime Hezbullah rockets attack on Israel. Three rockets scored direct hits on homes in the northern town, causing severe damage.

Update 7:30 PM

The Jerusalem Post is now reporting that an eighth person has died - the fifth from the Akko (Acre) attack.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 6:24 PM