Hezbollah's rockets strike Haifa: Reported damage inside Israel amid ground invasion of South Lebanon

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

At 11:30 a.m., as Israeli attention focused on Hezbollah's Deputy Secretary-General Naim Qassem's speech, the city of Haifa and its surrounding areas, including the Krayot region, turned into a war zone. 

More than 80 rockets fired by Hezbollah rained down in a single volley, overwhelming Israel's defense systems. Fifteen minutes later, a second barrage followed, targeting Haifa's center and outskirts with dozens more missiles.

The attack left widespread destruction, with shops, residential buildings, private homes, and infrastructure heavily damaged. Injured civilians were airlifted by helicopters to Rambam Hospital in Haifa. The scale of destruction sent shockwaves through Tel Aviv.

Israel considered it a field message as the rockets were launched from the western sector of South Lebanon, where the Israeli army's 4th Division had entered on Monday, joining three other brigades.

This came as part of an expanded ground operation to clear the area of Hezbollah's elite Radwan forces. The military expects the campaign to last several weeks.

While Haifa and other cities faced a relentless barrage, the Israeli army continued its offensive in Lebanon. Residents in border towns were ordered to take security precautions as the army imposed military closures on several towns, fearing potential infiltration by Hezbollah. 

Cities like Nahariyya and Qiryat Shemona were also struck, with explosions reverberating even offshore late into Monday night.

Naim Qassem's speech, which focused on the northern front and Iran, garnered significant attention in Israel. 

However, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant downplayed the severity of the Haifa attack, declaring after a security assessment in northern Israel that Hezbollah had been stripped of its firepower.

Meanwhile, security assessments in Tel Aviv revealed divisions over the timing and objectives of a possible Israeli strike on Iran. 

U.S. officials reportedly expressed skepticism about Israel's broader military goals, with White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan hinting that Washington might not rush to assist Israel in the event of another Iranian missile strike, should Tel Aviv proceed with its controversial plans.