Hezbollah’s attack on the IDF Northern Command headquarters in Tzfas on Wednesday morning was carried out with 11 unguided Grad rockets, the IDF said on Wednesday evening.

Two of the rockets scored direct hits, including on the IDF base, and nine fell in open areas. Tragically, Staff Sgt. Omer Sara-Benjo, H’yd, the IDF soldier who was killed, was on her way to the shelter when the rocket struck. Several other soldiers were also injured in the attack, one seriously. The IDF is checking into the possibility that the sirens in Tzfas failed to provide adequate time for residents to run to protected areas.

Hezbollah did not claim responsibility for Wednesday’s strike. But it has vowed to continue its attacks until there is a cease-fire in Gaza

Hezbollah is the Arab world’s most significant terror force with a robust internal structure as well as a sizable arsenal. Backed by Iran, its terrorists have gained experience during Syria’s 13-year conflict in which they helped tip the balance of power in favor of government forces.

Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, had boasted that the group has 100,000 fighters, though other estimates put its troop strength at less than half that. Israel wants Hezbollah to withdraw its Radwan Force from the border so tens of thousands Israelis displaced from northern towns and villages can return home.

Hezbollah holds a vast arsenal of mostly small, portable and unguided surface-to-surface artillery rockets, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank. The U.S. and Israel estimate Hezbollah and other terror groups in Lebanon have some 150,000 missiles and rockets. Hezbollah also has been working on precision-guided missiles.

Hezbollah has previously launched drones into Israel and in 2006, hit an Israeli warship with a surface-to-sea missile. Its forces also have assault rifles, heavy machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades, roadside bombs and other weaponry.

During the current conflict, Hezbollah has frequently used Russian-made portable anti-tank Kornet missiles. More rarely, it has launched Burkan rockets that, according to Nasrallah, can carry a warhead that weighs between 300 kilograms (660 pounds) and 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds).

In recent weeks, Hezbollah has introduced new weapons including a surface-to-surface missile with a range of 10 kilometers (6 miles) and a warhead weighing 50 kilograms (110 pounds).

IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi visited the northern border on Wednesday and said that the army is preparing for a war in the north.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem & AP)