In the city of Ashkelon, Israel, sirens rang out, signaling a potential aerial attack, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on their Telegram channel. The alerts were heard on the evening of October 12 in the northern regions of Israel near the border with Lebanon. Prior to this, it was reported that an air raid siren was sounded in the Israeli town of Metula, located close to the Lebanon border. Al-Mayadeen TV channel also reported that three rockets were fired from Lebanon towards Israel.
On October 7, Hamas forces launched thousands of rockets into Israeli territory, marking the beginning of the “Flood of Al-Aqsa” operation. On the same day, Israel’s Minister of Public Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, declared a state of emergency in the country. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the country is now in a state of war. The Israeli Defense Forces’ operation against Hamas has been named “Iron Swords.”
Earlier, Prime Minister Netanyahu outlined Israel’s objectives in the war against Hamas.