Israel strikes Lebanon after rocket attack

BEIRUT/JERUSALEM. Israeli artillery and airstrikes hit southern Lebanon on Saturday following Israel’s interception of rockets fired from across the border. The attacks resulted in at least eight deaths, threatening a fragile truce that had ended a year-long conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

The recent escalation follows months of cross-border hostilities that culminated in a deadly Israeli offensive, which eliminated top Hezbollah commanders and destroyed much of the group’s arsenal.

Despite the attack, Hezbollah denied responsibility, stating it had “no link” to the rocket launches and remained committed to the ceasefire. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. An Israeli official confirmed that the identity of those behind the rocket fire remained unclear. According to the official, six rockets were launched, with three crossing into Israel before being intercepted.

Lebanon’s state news agency, citing health authorities, reported that Israeli strikes killed three people in Bint Jbeil and Touline and five others in the port city of Tyre, all in southern Lebanon.

Saturday’s clashes marked the first major escalation since Israel abandoned a separate ceasefire in Gaza with Hamas, Hezbollah’s ally and another group backed by Iran. The Israeli military later announced a second wave of strikes on Hezbollah targets.

“We expect Lebanon to take care of its part of the agreement,” said Ophir Falk, foreign policy adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “The IDF will do whatever it takes to enforce the ceasefire and to make sure that our civilians can get back home safely and securely.”

Israeli forces reported intercepting three rockets launched from a Lebanese district about six kilometers north of the border toward the Israeli town of Metula. In response, Netanyahu ordered the military to “act forcefully against dozens of terror targets in Lebanon.”

The Israeli military stated that its strikes targeted dozens of Hezbollah rocket launchers and a command center used by the group’s militants in southern Lebanon. Lebanon’s state news agency confirmed Israeli airstrikes and artillery shelling in multiple border towns and hilltops up to eight kilometers inside Lebanese territory.

While Lebanon suffered casualties, no injuries were reported in Israel.

Meanwhile, Gaza’s health authorities reported that five Palestinians, including a child, were killed by Israeli fire in Beit Lahiya and Gaza City. The Israeli military stated that a group of militants in a vehicle posed a threat to its forces in northern Gaza, leading to an airstrike.

In Rafah, a city near Gaza’s border with Egypt, an Israeli airstrike killed two Palestinians, according to local medics. The Israeli military said the attack targeted militants in the area.

Under the ceasefire deal brokered in November, Hezbollah was to disarm in southern Lebanon, Israeli ground troops were to withdraw, and the Lebanese army was to take control of the region. The agreement placed the responsibility on Lebanon’s government to dismantle all unauthorized military infrastructure in the south.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun ordered the army to address “any violation” that could destabilize the country. The military reported finding and dismantling three “primitive rocket launchers” in the south.

Netanyahu held Lebanon’s government accountable for “everything taking place within its territory” and warned that Israel would not tolerate threats to its citizens and sovereignty.

The United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon expressed alarm over the “volatile” situation, warning that further escalation could have “serious consequences for the region.”

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam cautioned against a renewed military conflict in the country’s south: “All security and military measures must be taken to show that Lebanon decides on matters of war and peace.”

Despite the ceasefire agreement, tensions persist as both sides accuse each other of non-compliance. Israel claims Hezbollah still maintains military infrastructure in southern Lebanon. At the same time, Lebanon and Hezbollah argue that Israeli forces continue to occupy Lebanese land by maintaining airstrikes and holding strategic hilltop positions along the border.

With reports from Reuters