Israeli military and Lebanese officials said that on Thursday Israel launched a rare airstrike against its northern neighbors, thus intensifying its response to the rocket attack from Lebanon on the day previous.
On Wednesday, three rockets were launched from Lebanon into Israeli territory, and Israel responded with continued artillery fire. An alarm has sounded in northern Israel warning of a possible rocket attack. The military said that two rockets landed in Israel.
Channel 12 stated that one rocket exploded in the air and the other was intercepted by the Israeli defense system, called the Iron Dome. Israeli media reported that the incoming rocket caught fire near Kiryat Shmona, a neighborhood of approximately 20,000 people near the Lebanese border.
The Lebanese Army said that as a result of the rocket fired from Lebanon on Wednesday, Israel fired 92 artillery shells at Lebanese villages. He stated that Israeli shelling caused a fire in the village of Rashaya al Fukhar. The Lebanese Army also stated that it is patrolling the border area, setting up several checkpoints, and conducting investigations to determine the source of the rockets.
There have been several similar incidents in recent months.
US State Department spokesperson Ned Price condemned the rockets from Lebanon.
A statement from the Israeli army stated that the plane struck the launch site where the rocket was launched and another target used to attack Israel in the past. The army blamed the bombing on the Lebanese state and warned against further attempts to harm Israeli civilians and Israeli sovereignty.
The night airstrikes in southern Lebanon were a clear escalation during a politically sensitive period. Israel’s new eight-party ruling coalition is trying to keep the peace under a fragile ceasefire that ended the 11-day war with radical Hamas rulers in Gaza in May. The various incidents that led to the launch of the rocket from Lebanon this week focused attention on Israel’s northern border. The United States quickly condemned the attack on Israel.
Lebanon is deeply mired in multiple crises, including a devastating financial and economic collapse and political stagnation, resulting in a country without an effective government for a full year.
Lebanese President Michel Aoun stated that Israel’s use of air force to attack Lebanese villages was the first time since 2006 and indicated that there was an aggressive escalation of intent against Lebanon. It said in a statement that Lebanon will file a complaint with the United Nations.
Stefano Del Col, commander of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), called on all parties to take urgent measures to ease tensions and prevent violations of the cessation of hostilities that have been in in force since 2006.
Israel and the Lebanese Israeli militant group Hezbollah waged a devastating month-long war in 2006, killing some 1,200 Lebanese (mainly civilians) and some 160 Israelis (mainly soldiers). The war failed to remove the rocket threat from the organization. Israeli officials said Hezbollah’s improved missile arsenal, backed by Iran, can now strike almost anywhere in Israel.
No one claimed responsibility for the Lebanese rockets and Hezbollah did not comment. Hezbollah’s AlManar TV channel reported on the Israeli attack around 2 a.m. Thursday, saying they attacked a vacant lot in Mahmoudiya village in Marjayoun district.
Avichai Adraee, an Arabic spokesperson for the Israeli army, said that the Lebanese government is responsible for what happened on its territory and warned against further attacks on Israel from southern Lebanon.
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