Attack on central Israel injures 11 as Iran's supreme leader vows punishing response

MANY OF THE PROJECTILES WERE INTERCEPTED BY ISRAELI AIR DEFENCES

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JERUSALEM: An attack on a central Israeli town early Saturday injured 11 people as Iran's supreme leader vowed a punishing response to Israel's attack last week.

The predawn strike on Tira, which followed air raid sirens across central Israel, was one of several barrages fired from Lebanon early in the day. Many of the projectiles were intercepted by Israeli air defences, while others landed in unpopulated areas.

The Magen David Adom emergency service said 11 people were hurt by shrapnel and glass shards in a direct strike on a building in Tira, a predominantly Israeli Arab town. Three were in moderate condition, while the others suffered milder injuries.

Footage showed significant damage to the roof and top floor of the three-story building and cars below.

Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah group said on Saturday that it had used missiles and explosive drones to target military and intelligence facilities in northern and central Israel. It claimed responsibility for firing missiles toward the Israeli military's Unit 8200 base in Glilot, on the edge of Tel Aviv, and for firing rockets toward military facilities in Zvulun. Hezbollah also said it had targeted central Israel's Palmachim Air Base with explosive drones, saying they “scored precise hits on targets”.

Israel’s military did not confirm whether any of the three Hezbollah targets had been hit and said it had no comment on the group’s claims.

Hezbollah said the Saturday dawn missile attack directed at Glilot was in retaliation for the “massacres” that are being committed by Israel. Tira is about 20 km (12.5 miles) from Glilot.