Israel says it struck dozens of Hezbollah rocket launchers and command centres in southern Lebanon after the rocket was fired from there at Israel for the first time since the November ceasefire.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he told the Israeli Defence Forces “we will act forcefully against dozens of terrorist targets.”
Lebanon’s health ministry said two people, including children, were killed in the strike and eight others were injured. The prime minister warned that his country was being dragged “in a new war.”
Hezbollah, an Iran-backed armed group, said it had not carried out a rocket attack and continued to commit to a deal that ended its 14-month battle.
Unifil’s Lebanon UN peacekeeping forces said it was “wary of possible escalations of violence,” urging both Israel and Lebanon to “support their commitment.”
The IDF said three rockets were intercepted in a town in northern Israel in the morning. There were no injuries.
Hours later, Lebanese forces conducted a search operation and said they had discovered “three primitive rocket launchers.”
In a statement later Saturday, Hezbollah denied links with rocket attacks against Israel, reaffirming its commitment to a ceasefire contract.
Certain fires are easily broken. Israel has carried out almost daily airstrikes on what is described as targets of Hezbollah, indicating that the attacks will continue to hinder the group’s regeneration.
In addition, Israeli forces still occupy five locations in southern Lebanon. The Lebanese government has said it is a violation of the sovereignty of the country that requires Israeli forces to withdraw, and a violation of the ceasefire contract.
Israel says Lebanese forces have not yet been fully deployed in those regions and need to stay at those points to ensure the security of border communities.
Saturday’s rocket attack on Israel will put further pressure on the Lebanese government and will likely be used as evidence of Israel that Lebanese forces have no complete control of the border area.
Despite Israel’s constant attacks, Hezbollah has not responded in physical form. The group faces the major challenge of providing economic aid to war-affected communities and faces pressure from the enemy to disarm them.
Lebanese President Joseph Orn, who came to power in January, said the country should have weapons, which is considered a reference to Hezbollah’s armory. Lebanon’s international partners say they will only help the country if the government acts to curb Hezbollah’s power.
Hezbollah said it launched its campaign the day after Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, and is acting in solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The longstanding conflict escalated, leading to Israeli fierce air campaigns across Lebanon, assassination of senior Hezbollah leaders and an invasion of the ground in southern Lebanon.
The attack killed around 4,000 people in Lebanon, including many civilians, leading to the evacuation of more than 1.2 million residents from September to November 2024.
Israel’s goal in the war with Hezbollah was to allow the return of around 60,000 residents who were expelled from the country’s northern communities due to group attacks and remove it from areas along the border.
