Hezbollah rocket fire increasingly targets Arab and Druze communities - analysis

Hezbollah rocket fire wounded 19 people in the town of Tira in Israel early Saturday morning, leaving four in moderate condition and the others with mild injuries. This is the latest example of Hezbollah killing and wounding people in Arab and Druze communities in recent weeks.

It is unclear why Hezbollah rocket fire is increasingly killing and wounding civilians. It appears that Hezbollah may be firing its rockets indiscriminately. In the first year of its war on Israel, when it launched thousands of rockets and drones, Hezbollah claimed that it was often targeting Israeli military sites.

In many cases, this resulted in sirens sounding in civilian areas and people rushing to shelters, fearing falling shrapnel from interceptions.

As Hezbollah expanded its attacks, the sirens have sounded more often because of long-range rockets and drones that threaten wide areas. One rocket fired from toward central Israel can result in sirens that send a million people to shelters in dozens of communities.

Targeting minority communities

The first major Hezbollah attack that led to the murder of members of minority communities in Israel was the attack on Majdal Shams in July 2024, killing 12 children and teens next to a soccer field.

On October 31, Mina and Carmi Hasson from Shfaram, a large town that includes Druze and Arabs, were killed by rockets that fell near Gilam junction, just west of their hometown. The mother and son were killed while out harvesting olives with their family.

Days prior, Hezbollah rocket fire also murdered 24-year-old Mohammed Naim in Tarshiha. Tarshiha is part of the larger combined municipality of Ma’alot-Tarshiha, which merges Arab and Jewish communities east of Nahariya in the hills of the Galilee.

On October 27, three people were wounded in the Arab town of Tamra, including a 57-year-old man who was in serious condition, along with a 21-year-old woman and a 13-year-old girl. Tamra is around 12 miles east of the coastal town of Acre.

On October 25, two people were killed and seven wounded in rocket fire that struck Majd el-Kurum, a large Arab town on Route 85 near Karmiel in the Galilee.

The killing of so many people in various Arab and Druze areas in Israel appears to be a new trend. In general, Hezbollah rocket fire over the last year has not killed large numbers of civilians. This changed in October.

For instance, October 31 was one of the deadliest days from Hezbollah rocket fire. In addition to the two killed near Shfaram, five were killed near Metulla, including four foreign workers.

Hezbollah has often averaged around 100-200 rockets per day over the last month. The rocket fire is becoming more deadly, not because it is more accurate than in the past, but because it is less accurate. In addition, many Arab and Druze towns and villages do not have enough shelters.

This is a broader problem across northern Israel. There has been a major shortage of adequate shelters to deal with the Hezbollah rocket threat since the beginning of the war. Many local councils have scrambled to acquire shelters and place them in various places. Even when the councils do acquire the shelters, sometimes via donations, more are needed. 

For instance, in the Christian village of Jish in the North there is a church on a hill from which Lebanon can be seen. Now there is a new donated shelter near the church. In Majdal Shams, when rockets killed 12 in July, there was a shelter near the field, but people couldn’t reach it in time. In the Druze town of Hurfeish, there were several new shelters placed in the last year; however, more are likely needed.

This is an issue throughout northern Israel that affects thousands of Muslim, Christian, Jewish, and Druze citizens alike.