False Alarm: Haifa Interceptor Incident Amid Heightened Tensions

Sirens in Haifa were accidentally triggered by an Israeli interceptor, not an incoming rocket, during increased hostilities with Hezbollah. While sirens sounded in multiple areas, the military intercepted several projectiles from Lebanon. Despite intensified skirmishes, both parties have kept exchanges calibrated to avoid major escalation.

Sirens in Israel's northern port city of Haifa on Tuesday were set off by one of Israel's own interceptors not an incoming rocket, the military said, amid increased hostilities along the frontier with Lebanon.

The military said the sirens were activated "following the launch of an interceptor" and that the incident was under review. Earlier on Tuesday, the military said it had intercepted "a suspicious aerial target" off the coast of Haifa, where no injuries or damage were reported.

Israel and the armed group Hezbollah in Lebanon have been trading fire since the onset of the Gaza war in October. Both sides have said they are ready for a bigger confrontation as mediators struggle to secure a Gaza ceasefire although their exchanges have so far appeared to be calibrated to contain any escalation. Hostilities have intensified over the past week, with both the Israeli military and Hezbollah striking locations outside the areas where previous exchanges of fire had been concentrated.

Sirens sounded in several other northern areas on Tuesday, before the military said it identified around 50 projectiles crossing from Lebanon into the occupied Golan Heights. It said several were intercepted and others fell in open areas, with no immediate reports of injuries or damage.