Israel conducted airstrikes in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip on Friday against Palestinian militant groups they said had fired dozens of rockets from Lebanon into Israeli territory in a rare escalation.
The unusual burst of violence from Lebanon sparked fears of a broader conflict between Israel and its neighbours during a period of high tension over one of Jerusalem’s holiest sites. Military analysts said the rocket attack was the largest since 2006, when Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fought a 34-day war.
Air-raid sirens wailed in towns across northern Israel on Thursday afternoon, sending scores of Israelis running to bomb shelters. Most of the rockets were shot down by Israeli aerial defence or landed in open areas. At least two Israelis were lightly wounded by shrapnel, Israeli health officials said.
The Israeli military said Palestinian militant groups such as Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad were behind the rocket fire from Lebanon. Israeli military spokesman Richard Hecht said that the attack was likely conducted with Hezbollah’s knowledge and that the army was examining whether Iran, Israel’s main regional foe, was involved.
“The current situation is extremely serious,” said the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, a peacekeeping force that patrols the Israeli-Lebanese border. It urged restraint to avoid further escalation.
Neither the Palestinian groups nor Hezbollah took responsibility for the rockets. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was present in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, for an official visit on Thursday, the Islamist militant group said.
Read the article by Aaron Boxerman in The Australian.