Hizbollah rocket barrage wounds 19 in Haifa

HAIFA, Israel, July 21 (Reuters) A barrage of Hizbollah rockets fired from Lebanon slammed into the northern Israeli city of Haifa on Friday, wounding at least 19 people, medics said.

Rockets also hit several other northern towns.

One missile hit an apartment building in Haifa in an initial barrage. A second wave of rockets struck a short time later, but it was unclear if there were any casualties.

Sirens sounded both times before the rockets hit.

''I was walking down the street and all of a sudden a boom occurred right in front of me on the sidewalk,'' said Dima Ostrovsky, 27, who was not hurt.

The fresh barrages came after the army said Hizbollah rocket attacks on Israel had dropped significantly.

A spokeswoman said around 50 rockets had struck northern areas from Lebanon on Thursday, the lowest since the conflict erupted after the abduction of two Israeli soldiers on July 12. That compared to 140 the day before and a daily average of 110.

Hizbollah has fired more than 900 missiles in total at dozens of towns and villages, killing 15 Israeli civilians. Nineteen Israeli soldiers have also been killed during the Jewish state's offensive.

Israel has killed at least 343 people in Lebanon, the vast majority civilians, and displaced half a million.

REUTERS SY VV1807