Tiberias, Israel - Rockets Shatter Sea of Galilee

Tiberias, Israel - A rain of rockets from Lebanon shattered the quiet Shabbas, sending people fleeing for their lives and residents crowding into bomb shelters. "Everybody was hysterical. Everybody was scared to death," said Batsheva Kakoun, 53, among hundreds in shelters in this resort city beside the lake called the Sea of Galilee.

Hezbollah rockets hit Tiberias, the first time since the 1973 Mideast war that the resort city was attacked by rockets. Residents were ordered into bomb shelters, and tourists were fleeing the city. "We never thought, until the day that I die, that this would happen in Tiberias," said ex-mayor Asher Yaish.

Twin barrages of dozens of Hezbollah's Katyusha rockets cleared the streets, driving thousands of tourists onto southbound roads to get out of range of rockets that have been falling on this northern part of Israel.
As warning sirens wailed, scores of black-clad ultra-Orthodox Jews quickly ran to their cars, removed their skullcaps and drove away. Ultra-Orthodox Jews do not drive on the Shabbas, except to save a life.

Inside bomb shelters, some beds were stacked four-high, designed to accommodate as many people as possible. Others lacked air conditioning, but as the heat and humidity built up those inside refused to leave. Officials said they lacked the basic necessities because they had not been used in years.
"It's especially difficult for the kids," said Kakoun, who had been in a shelter since 1 p.m.

The Lebanese guerrillas have threatened to make more and more of Israel a target.