In north, 50,000 residents without rocket shelters brace for escalation with Lebanon

In the event of rocket attacks on Israel’s north, the escalation would find about 50,000 people living in homes without an adequate sheltered area, despite a NIS 5 billion ($1.38 billion) plan to address the issue.

Under the plan, approved in 2018 but initiated only in 2021, only NIS 350 million ($97 million) of the budget has been allocated to northern municipalities, Channel 12 news reported Thursday, after Air Force strikes in southern Lebanon.

The strikes, which the Israel Defense Forces said were directed against Hamas targets, were retaliation for rocket fire from Lebanon into Israel on Thursday, the worst cross-border violence since a 2006 war. READ MORE