Eight hours after multiple rockets were launched at the northern Israeli city of Kiryat Shmona, the Lebanese Armed Forces announced that they had located the launchers in the Shiite village of Qaqa’it al-Jisr in southern Lebanon. The discovery came well after the rockets had already exploded near civilian areas in Israel, triggering air raid sirens and forcing residents into shelters.
“An investigation has been launched,” the Lebanese army said in a short statement.
العدو الإسرائيلي يصعّد اعتداءاته على لبنان متذرعًا بإطلاق صاروخين من الأراضي اللبنانية نحو الأراضي الفلسطينية المحتلة
صدر عن قيادة الجيش – مديرية التوجيه البيان الآتي:
صعّد العدو الإسرائيلي اعتداءاته على لبنان متذرعًا بإطلاق صاروخين من الأراضي اللبنانية نحو الأراضي الفلسطينية… pic.twitter.com/CuXCkJY8Oh
Israelis and security experts were quick to point out the delayed response. Eight hours is more than enough time for Hezbollah operatives—who control large parts of southern Lebanon with virtual impunity—to dismantle, move, or booby-trap any launch equipment. The delay once again highlights the Lebanese government’s inability—or unwillingness—to rein in Hezbollah’s activity within its own borders.
The attack on Kiryat Shmona is the latest in a months-long campaign of Hezbollah aggression, part of Iran’s broader regional war against Israel. While the Israeli military routinely responds with precision airstrikes against launch sites, weapons depots, and Hezbollah infrastructure, Lebanon’s own security forces appear powerless—or paralyzed.
A Known Launch Zone
Qaqa’it al-Jisr is located in Hezbollah’s stronghold territory, part of a dense web of villages where the terror group stores and fires rockets under civilian cover. The village’s use for rocket fire is not new—it has been identified by Israeli intelligence as one of dozens of locations used to wage war on Israeli civilians while hiding behind Lebanese homes, mosques, and schools.
Israel has repeatedly warned that southern Lebanon is turning into a military outpost for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), using Hezbollah as its proxy. Despite this, international bodies continue to pressure Israel to show “restraint,” while failing to condemn Hezbollah’s blatant war crimes.
A Message from Israel: No More Excuses
Israeli officials reacted with frustration and skepticism to the Lebanese army’s statement.
“Eight hours after the attack is eight hours too late,” said one Israeli defense source. “The damage was done, the people were terrorized, and the attackers are long gone. Lebanon must choose whether it wants to be a sovereign state—or Hezbollah’s host.”
With Israel continuing to enforce a new doctrine of zero tolerance for rocket fire, further violations by Hezbollah are expected to draw immediate and heavy retaliation—regardless of whether Beirut chooses to intervene or not.
The message is clear: Israel will not wait eight hours. It will respond in minutes.
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