JERUSALEM

The Israeli army announced Tuesday the suspension of classes in the Haifa Bay in the northern Israel area following heavy rocket fire from Lebanon. 

Earlier, Hezbollah launched its largest barrage since Oct. 2023, firing more than 100 rockets at Haifa and the Krayot area in northern Israel.

The Israeli army indicated in a statement on X that after a situation assessment, it was decided to update protection instructions at 1800 (1500GMT).

As part of the changes, the Bay area -- including Kiryat Ata, Kiryat Bialik, Kiryat Yam, and Kiryat Motzkin will move from a partial activity level to a limited activity level, which prohibits educational activities.

The army released a map of the new instructions for residents in the affected area, which includes limiting gatherings to a maximum of 50 people in open areas and 250 in closed areas.

Only locations that allow for quick access to protected areas and shelters will be permitted to operate. Additionally, public beaches will be closed to the public, and classes will be suspended.

The rocket fire has caused significant damage to infrastructure and homes, with two individuals sustaining light to moderate injuries from shrapnel, as well as widespread panic among residents, according to Israeli media reports.

On Tuesday, the electricity company in Haifa Bay reported that rocket fire had damaged the power network in three locations in Kiryat Yam and Kiryat Motzkin.

Israel has mounted massive airstrikes across Lebanon against what it claims Hezbollah targets since Sept. 23 that have killed more than 1,250 victims, injuring 3,618 others and displacing more than 1.2 million.​​​​​​​

The aerial campaign was an escalation in a year-long cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah since the start of Tel Aviv’s brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip that has killed nearly 42,000 victims, mostly women and children, since a Hamas attack last year.

At least 2,083 people have since been killed and 9,869 injured in Israeli attacks in Lebanon, according to Lebanese authorities.

Despite international warnings that the Middle East region was on the brink of a regional war amid Israel’s relentless attacks on Gaza and Lebanon, Tel Aviv expanded the conflict by launching a ground invasion into southern Lebanon on Oct. 1.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala