FASSUTA, Israel — A barrage of rockets fired from Lebanon focused Israel Thursday, a day after clashes between Israeli police and Palestinians inside Islam’s third-holiest website drew warnings of retaliation from across the area.
Israel’s military mentioned it had “identified 34 rockets that were fired from Lebanese territory into Israeli territory” and that 25 had been intercepted by Israeli air defenses.
“Five rockets landed in Israeli territory,” added the military assertion that adopted the assault, which was not instantly claimed by any group.
The rocket hearth got here amid heightened tensions after Israeli riot police clashed with Palestinians inside Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque earlier than daybreak Wednesday and once more within the night, sparking condemnation from throughout the Muslim world.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “receiving continuous updates about the security situation and will conduct an assessment with the heads of the security establishment,” his workplace mentioned.
Israeli emergency companies reported a person had been frivolously wounded by shrapnel and a feminine was injured whereas working to a shelter.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon referred to as for restraint.
“The current situation is extremely serious,” mentioned the pressure which patrols the border space between the 2 nations which might be technically nonetheless at struggle. “UNIFIL urges restraint and to avoid further escalation.”
Warning sirens sounded within the city of Shlomi and in Moshav Betzet and the Galilee in northern Israel, the military mentioned.
The Israeli navy denied to AFP that it had retaliated “thus far,” in response to studies from Lebanon’s National News Agency that Israel had struck targets in southern Lebanon.
According to the Lebanon report, Israeli artillery fired “several shells from its positions on the border” in direction of the outskirts of two villages after the launch of “several Katyusha type rockets” at Israel.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant had been briefed on the small print of the occasions on Israel’s northern border, a spokesman mentioned. “The minister will soon conduct a situation assessment with senior officials in the defense establishment,” he added.
Al-Aqsa clashes
Israeli riot police had on Wednesday stormed the prayer corridor of Al-Aqsa mosque in a pre-dawn raid aiming to dislodge “law-breaking youths and masked agitators” they mentioned had barricaded themselves inside.
The violence, throughout each the Jewish Passover and the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, sparked an trade of rockets and air strikes with militants within the Gaza Strip, with fears of additional escalation.
Lebanon’s pro-Iranian armed motion Hezbollah had warned earlier Thursday it could help “all measures” that Palestinian teams could take towards Israel after the clashes.
Shiite militant group Hezbollah is the one Lebanese faction that saved its weapons after the tip of the nation’s 1975-1990 civil struggle.
“Hezbollah forcefully denounces the assault carried out by the Israeli occupation forces against the Al-Aqsa mosque compound and its attacks on the faithful,” Hezbollah mentioned in a press release.
Hezbollah, an arch foe of Israel, has shut ties with the Islamist motion Hamas, which guidelines Gaza, and with the Islamic Jihad militant group, which can be primarily based within the coastal enclave.
The rockets got here a day after Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh arrived in Lebanon for a go to.
A Hamas supply advised AFP that Haniyeh had canceled a go to to the southern Lebanese metropolis of Sidon scheduled for Thursday afternoon as a result of “developments.”
The supply added that Haniyeh was set to satisfy with Hezbollah chief Nasrallah within the subsequent 48 hours.
The final rocket fired from Lebanon into Israel was in April 2022. — Agence France-Presse
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
