Israel army says hundreds of thousands take cover after new Hezbollah barrage

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The Israeli military said more than 100 projectiles were fired early on Sunday from Lebanon, forcing hundreds of thousands to take cover and prompting school closures in Israel's north. The military said that "approximately 20 projectiles were identified crossing from Lebanon" shortly before 5am (0200 GMT), followed by a barrage of "approximately 85 projectiles" launched from Lebanon after 6am (0300 GMT). "Hundreds of thousands of people had to take refuge in bomb shelters at that time across northern Israel," said military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani.

The military in an earlier statement said the rocket fire sparked fires, while Israel's medical emergency service said at least four people suffered "shrapnel injuries", three of whom in the area of the northern Israeli city of Haifa. Israel's civil defence agency has ordered all schools in the country's north closed following the rocket fire, the latest escalation in nearly a year of cross-border exchanges throughout the Gaza war. Educational activities would not be permitted across northern Israel until at least Monday at 6pm (1500 GMT), the military's Home Front Command said, affecting "hundreds of thousands of children" according to Shoshani.



"In Haifa, a lot of school are closed...

and offices are empty", said resident Patrice Wolff, who works in the medical industry. He said there was "more and more pressure" coming from Hezbollah as well as from Israeli forces on the Lebanese group..