7 Dead in Hezbollah Attacks in Israel

Seven people, including four Thai nationals, were killed Thursday in Hezbollah rocket strikes on northern Israel.

The attacks targeted the Haifa Bay area and Metula, a settlement near the Lebanese border, where an eighth person sustained critical injuries.

Among the deceased were two residents of Shfaram, an Arab city near Haifa, a man in his 30s and a woman in her 60s.

The remaining victims were agricultural workers in Metula, four of whom were foreign nationals.

Thailand’s Foreign Minister, Maris Sangiamphongsa, expressed his sorrow on social media following confirmation that four Thai citizens had died in the attacks. Another Thai national was injured.

These fatalities represent the highest civilian toll in Israel in a single day since the conflict began, apart from an earlier incident in late July that killed 13 Syrian children in Majdal Shams, also reportedly due to Hezbollah rocket fire.

The violence intensified Thursday amid reports of progress in a ceasefire negotiation led by U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein. On the same day, seven Lebanese citizens, including two medics, were killed in Israeli airstrikes targeting southern Lebanon.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched aerial strikes across Lebanon's southern and western Beqaa regions, while Hezbollah continued to fend off IDF attempts to advance.

Sirens warning of drone and rocket attacks blared across northern Israeli cities, including Acre, Rosh HaNikra, and Carmiel. Meanwhile, Israel expanded its bombing campaign, targeting Lebanese villages and towns.

Hezbollah issued statements detailing their attacks on northern Israeli settlements, including Kiryat Shmona, Hatzor HaGlilit, Kfar Tzvi, and Yesod HaMa’ala, and a barrage of rockets aimed at an Israeli military gathering near Khiam, a southern Lebanese town.