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Blackouts in northern Israel after Hezbollah rocket barrage

The salvo and subsequent blackouts come as the Israeli government warns the public about the growing possibility of all-out war with Hezbollah.
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By World Israel News Staff

Several towns in northern Israel experienced widespread blackouts on Monday evening after a rocket barrage fired from Lebanon damaged a major electricity transmitter.

At least 10 rockets were fired by Hezbollah terrorists towards civilian communities near the northern border, setting sirens wailing across a 20 kilometer (12 mile) span of the Western Galilee region.

Footage circulating on social media showed the Iron Dome air defense system shooting down some of the rockets.

According to the Mateh Asher Regional Council, one rocket struck a central transmitter, knocking out power in local communities. The statement did not specify how many areas lost electricity.

Power was restored several hours later by the Israel Electric Company.

Earlier on Monday, anti-tank missiles fired by Hezbollah towards the agricultural community of Margaliot killed one foreign worker from India and wounded seven others, two of them seriously.

The salvo on Monday night and subsequent blackouts come as the Israeli government warns the public about the growing possibility of all-out war with Hezbollah.

The terror group, which has vast stockpiles of precision-guided and ballistic missiles, could potentially launch devastating attacks on Israel’s infrastructure, including its electrical grid.

Makoreported earlier this week that Israelis have been snapping up generators in order to prepare, with many electrical importers scrambling to keep up with the demand.

Sales of generators were up by 500% compared to the same time last year at Electrical Warehouse, one of Israel’s largest electronic chain stores.

“It is almost impossible to meet the demand,” Liron Katz, a senior executive at Electrical Warehouse, told Mako.

“Everyone is going crazy regarding whether or not they’re prepared for an emergency at home…Now, these emergency products have become standard for consumers.”

Katz added that the number of orders for generators on the company’s website was so high that they had initially assumed the spike in purchases were part of a cyber attack.