Israeli military says 'suspicious air targets' crossed into Lebanon before Israeli forces destroyed them

The Israel Defense Forces said Sunday it had located “numerous suspicious air targets” coming from Lebanon, prompting Israel to launch several interceptors that brought the targets down on the ground.

According to a press release from the Israeli army, a fall was observed near Kibbutz Ayelet HaShahar, after sirens sounded in the Upper Galilee.

The incident left one IDF officer and one soldier lightly injured, both of whom were taken to hospital for treatment. The families of the injured have been notified, the IDF said.

Israeli firefighters are working to extinguish a fire that broke out in the area during the attack.

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Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari speaks to the press from the Kirya, which houses the Israeli Defense Ministry, in Tel Aviv, October 18, 2023. (GIL COHEN-MAGEN/AFP via Getty Images)

The Israeli army said that after sirens sounded in the Kiryat Shmona and Kfar Giladi areas, it was determined that it was a false identification.

IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a press briefing that troops are present in several areas, including the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Judea and Samaria, to thwart threats against Israel.

In Gaza, the Israeli army is focusing on locating and neutralizing underground infrastructure in the Rafah area and the Philadelphia Corridor, Hagari said, adding that dozens of tunnels have so far been located and are being investigated, neutralized and destroyed by troops.

Hagari said that not all of these tunnels are active, as some are old and the Israeli army has already dealt with them, but that all of the tunnels are being neutralized.

On Sunday morning, two Israeli citizens were killed and two others injured in a stabbing attack in the city of Holon, according to Hagari. The terrorist was neutralized at the scene by a police officer.

The Israeli military said dozens of tunnels have so far been located and are being investigated, neutralized and destroyed by troops. (Israel Defense Forces)

On Saturday, the Israeli army and the Israel Securities Authority prepared a response to an alert about a terrorist cell in the West Bank area of ​​Tulkarem, Hagari said. The cell was on its way to carry out a terrorist attack against a road or community, but a plane eliminated the cell of five terrorists who were inside a vehicle, Hagari said.

Later in the day, a counter-terrorism operation was carried out by the Israeli army and the ISA in Tulkarem, where an aircraft shot down four terrorists who had opened fire on Israeli forces. Troops also provided assistance from the ground, Hagari said.

After the operation, troops discovered a large quantity of firearms, ammunition and military vests. Hagari said that a large part of these weapons came from Iran and arrived in Judea and Samaria.

“For years, Iran has been arming and funding terrorist organizations throughout the Middle East, including by smuggling explosives into Israeli territory to carry out terrorist attacks against civilians,” Hagari said. “The Israeli military and the ISA have already thwarted numerous attacks in which Claymore-type explosives were smuggled into the country. We are determined to continue to take action against Iranian terrorism wherever it may be found.”

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Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari poses next to an Iranian ballistic missile that fell in Israel, during a media tour at the Julis military base near the southern Israeli town of Kiryat Malachi on April 16, 2024. (Getty Images)

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The attack comes after the October 7 attack on Israel, which left 1,200 dead and 250 kidnapped. Many hostages are still being held by Hamas.

“Tonight we also remember the 115 hostages held by the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip,” Hagari said. “We are determined to bring them all home as quickly as possible: those who are alive to their families and those who are no longer alive to be buried in Israel. This is our goal and we will continue to act with great determination to achieve it.”

More than 39,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 90,000 injured in the Israeli-Hamas conflict. war in Gazaaccording to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, although the count does not distinguish between civilians and terrorists.