Over 130 rockets were fired at northern Israel from Lebanon throughout Saturday, the military said, with sirens repeatedly sending people rushing to shelters.

Meanwhile, 10 drones targeted the country — six from Lebanon, three from Iraq and one whose origin was unclear. Seven drones were intercepted by the military.

A rocket attack early in the morning in central Israel wounded 11 people after one of three rockets struck a home in Tira. The IDF said it was investigating the failure to intercept the rocket.

An Israel Air Force attack helicopter was filmed intercepting a Hezbollah drone in the Binyamina area, south of Haifa, after the drone set off sirens in area communities.

Footage posted to social media showed the moment the drone was shot down.

Attack drones have emerged as one of the most potent threats to Israel’s home front since the beginning of the year.

According to fresh data from the Israel Defense Forces, some 1,300 drones have been launched at Israel since the start of the war in Gaza last year, from all fronts — Lebanon, Gaza, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Iran.

The IDF said that 231 of the drones struck Israel, causing causalities and damage in some cases (including drones that exploded in open areas).

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Some 80 percent of drones have been intercepted, according to the military.

Footage shows the moment an IAF attack helicopter shot down a Hezbollah drone over northern Israel this afternoon. https://t.co/DBFLNJhZ2x pic.twitter.com/vW3JGAI4cQ

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) November 2, 2024

Despite multiple attacks throughout the day, the IDF Homefront Command said it was easing restrictions in several areas in northern Israel, following a fresh assessment.

As part of the changes, the Command adjusted the activity scale in the Lower Galilee and southern Golan Heights from “partial activity” to “full activity,” meaning that gatherings of up to 2,000 people are permitted. There are no changes, however, to other areas in the country.

The IDF says it is increasing its efforts against Hezbollah’s aerial force, known as Unit 127, which is responsible for drone attacks on Israel.

So far, the commander of the unit has been killed, along with other officers. In all, around 10% of the unit’s members have been killed or wounded, according to the IDF.

Hezbollah’s aerial forces are currently left with some 30% of the hundreds of drones they had before the war, according to IDF assessments.

The military says it has struck 54 sites used by the aerial forces to store drones, 24 sites used to store cruise missiles, eight sites where drones and cruise missiles were assembled, six underground sites, and seven weapon depots.

Since October 8, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the terror group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there.

Some 60,000 residents were evacuated from northern towns on the Lebanon border shortly after Hamas’s October 7 onslaught, amid fears Hezbollah would carry out a similar attack, and increasing rocket fire by the terror group.

The attacks on northern Israel since October 2023 have resulted in the deaths of 39 civilians. In addition, 61 IDF soldiers and reservists have died in cross-border skirmishes and in the ensuing ground operation launched in southern Lebanon in late September.

Two soldiers have been killed in a drone attack from Iraq, and there have also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries.

The IDF estimates that more than 2,000 Hezbollah operatives have been killed during the ongoing ground offensive in southern Lebanon.

Since the start of the conflict with Hezbollah on October 8, a day after Hamas launched its terror onslaught, nearly 3,000 Hezbollah members have been killed, according to IDF assessments.

Around 100 members of other terror groups, along with hundreds of civilians, have also been reported killed in Lebanon.

Hezbollah has named 516 members who have been killed by Israel amid the fighting, mostly in Lebanon but some also in Syria. These numbers have not been consistently updated since Israel began a new offensive against Hezbollah in September

Source:timesofisrael.com/