Two Israelis killed in rocket attack as Iron Dome fails to respond

Israeli emergency responders said two people were killed Wednesday in a rocket attack on the northern city of Kiryat Shmona, as Iron Dome failed to respond.

"We found a man and a woman aged around 40 years old, unconscious and injured by shrapnel," said emergency service provider Magen David Adom in a statement.

"We carried out medical examinations, but their injuries were serious and we had to declare them dead on the spot."

The incident is the first involving civilian deaths since Israel sent ground troops into southern Lebanon and began targeting Hezbollah positions with regular air strikes on Beirut.

Kiryat Shmona has been declared a closed military zone because of its proximity to the Lebanese border, and is a frequent target of Hezbollah rocket salvos.

🔴 کریات شمونہ پر راکٹ حملوں کے دوران آئرن ڈوم نے کام نہیں کیا۔ دو افراد جان کی بازی ہار گئے۔
-اسرائیلی اخبار ہیوم pic.twitter.com/MwIoH0Ml1O

— RTEUrdu (@RTEUrdu) October 9, 2024

Israel expanded operations in Lebanon nearly a year after Hezbollah began cross-border fire in support of its ally, Hamas, following the Palestinian group's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 against prolonged oppression by the Zionist regime.