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Hezbollah missile hits church, injuring 9 Israeli soldiers rescuing elderly man

‘This is further proof of Hezbollah’s cynical exploitation of Lebanese civilians and holy sites for its terrorist activity.’

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Nine IDF soldiers were wounded, one seriously, after being hit while rescuing an injured elderly man from a church that had been attacked by Hezbollah.

Soldiers assisted an 80-year-old who was wounded after Hezbollah fired a missile from Lebanon and hit St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church in Iqrit.

The terrorist group was trying to strike an IDF position in Shomera but hit the holy site in the Arab Christian village by mistake.

During the rescue of the wounded man, Hezbollah launched another missile and wounded the soldiers as they were carrying out the evacuation.

In response, the IDF launched a missile at a Hezbollah target in Lebanon including the building where the person who launched the missile was believed to be hiding.

Hezbollah was firing missiles into Northern Israel from a mosque in Yaroun, demonstrating the willingness of the terrorist organizations to use holy sites and civilian areas for fighting.

“This is further proof of Hezbollah’s cynical exploitation of Lebanese civilians and holy sites for its terrorist activity,” the IDF said.

Military operations on the northern border between Israel and Lebanon have heated up recently, with speculation about the possibility of a war opening up on the northern front.

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Last week, Hezbollah launched a barrage of rockets at the northern Israeli city of Kiryat Shmona prompting Israel to retaliate by striking terror sites in Lebanon.

At least eight rockets were launched by Hezbollah, two hit within the city, damaging infrastructure, including homes, vehicles, and a preschool, but since many of the residents had been relocated to other areas of the country, there were no injuries.

Israel’s Iron Dome defense system intercepted five rockets, with the other landing in an open area.

In retaliation, Israeli aircraft aimed at Hezbollah targets in Lebanon and struck at the source of the rocket fire.