Shrapnel severely damages rehab center during Hezbollah drone, rocket attack

Shrapnel severely damaged the therapeutic rehabilitation center for disabled individuals in the Mevo’ot HaHermon Regional Council in the Upper Galilee during a Hezbollah drone attack Saturday evening.

Shrapnel from interceptions of several drones and rockets also caused five fires to break out in the Upper Galilee and the Golan, according to the Northern District Fire and Rescue Services, following several hostile aircraft alerts and rocket sirens across the Galilee and Upper Galilee on Saturday evening. 

"This is the project of my life. Everything here is gone," Benny Ben-Muvchar, Mevo'ot HaHermon Regional Council Head, told Ynet.

"I narrowly escaped the direct hit on the rehabilitation center for disabled individuals and children with special needs—but the entire building is destroyed. During the attack, I was in the center's parking lot, and the force of the drone explosion knocked me backward. The damage to the building is very severe, the loss is immense, but we are not discouraged," Ben-Muvchar told Maariv in another conversation.

"We will build a new and better structure. Immediately after the incident, I spoke with Northern Command General Ori Gordin, and he reassured me. We will wait and let the army finish its mission in our area."

Situation in the North

Drone infiltration alerts sounded in Safed, Rosh Pina, Hatzor HaGlilit, Tuba-Zanghariya, Kfar Hanassi, Almagor, Amnun, Mahanayim, Amiad, and several other localities.

Rocket alert sirens sounded in Rosh Pina, Ramot Naftali, and Yiftah.

At the same time as the series of alarms heard throughout the Upper Galilee, the Israel Air Force began attacking Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, Ynet reported.

In a statement on Saturday night, the IDF said that one of the UAVs was intercepted, and several falls were identified. While damage was reported, the IDF confirmed there were no injuries. 

Moreover, the IAF struck Hezbollah military structures and a weapons storage facility in the areas of Hanine, Ayta ash Shab, Khiam, Tayr Harfa and Blida in southern Lebanon.

IDF soldiers also struck rocket launchers in Houla and Khilat al-Daba.

On Friday, Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi visited the Northern Region Base of the Intelligence Directorate (J2)  with the Northern Command Commanding Officer, Maj.-Gen. Ori Gordin, and received an overview of the intelligence assessment in the northern arena.

After that, they toured the Northern Command Headquarters and the two discussed the IDF's preparedness and readiness in the area.

Mathilda Heller contributed to this report.