Israel attacked Lebanon on Saturday in retaliation against the rockets targeting Israel, killing two, including a child, the heaviest exchange of fire since a ceasefire with Hezbollah, Lebanon’s militant group.
Earlier, the rockets launched from Lebanon to Israel, sparking concerns about whether a fragile ceasefire would take place for the second time since December. Hezbollah denied responsibility for the attack in a statement Saturday, saying it was a commitment to a truce and accused Israel of blaming it as an excuse to cause more attacks.
Israel has said that when the rocket is shot into Israel by the rocket, it will be a “serious response” to Lebanon's early Saturday attack. Israeli troops said the intercepted rockets targeted the Israeli town of Mira.
The Lebanese Ministry of Health said on Saturday that a strike in southern villages also injured eight other people.
On October 7, 2023, the day after Hamas launched an attack from a Gaza site, Hezbollah began firing rockets, drones and missiles at Israel, igniting the conflict there. The Israel-Herzbola conflict was caught in a full-scale conflict in September, with Israel carrying out numerous air strikes and killing senior leaders of most militant groups. The battle killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon and displaced about 60,000 Israelis.
Under the ceasefire that arrived in November, Israeli forces should withdraw from all Lebanese territory by late January. The deadline was subsequently extended to February 18 through an agreement between Lebanon and Israel.
But since then, Israel has remained at five locations in Lebanon, across the neighborhoods in northern Israel and carried out dozens of air strikes in southern and eastern Lebanon, claiming it attacked Hezbollah while continuing targeted drone attacks that have killed several fierce members.
Lebanon has called on the United Nations to put pressure on Israel to withdraw completely.
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office said on Saturday that the office directed the army to take strong action against dozens of Lebanon's targets, adding: “Israel will not allow any harm to its citizens and sovereignty.” Israel's military said on Saturday it was launching strikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon and attacking dozens of rocket launchers and Hezbollah's operating command centers.
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A Hezbollah official told the Associated Press on Saturday that he was not responsible for the attack, calling it “original” and did not want to be named because they did not have the right to talk to the media.
In a statement, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam asked Lebanese troops to take all necessary measures in the south, but said the country did not want to return to the conflict.
The United Nations temporary forces in Lebanon, known as Unifil, said it was shocked by the possible escalation of violence and urged all parties to avoid the progress made by harm, saying further escalation could have serious consequences for the region.
Israeli air strikes against Pointe Gaza
The strike comes the day after Israel said it would “increase in intensity” in Gaza until Hamas released the 59 hostages it owned, 24 of which were believed to be alive. According to Al-Ahly Hospital, which received the body, Israel strikes killed at least nine people late Friday night in a house in Gaza City, including three children.
Israeli troops said on Friday its troops planned to conduct new attacks on three communities west of Gaza City and issued a warning on social media to demand Palestinians from the areas.
Also on Friday, Israel blew up the only specialized cancer hospital in the conflict-torn territory. The Israeli military said it attacked the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, accusing Hamas militants of operating on the spot. Türkiye helped build and fund the hospital.
About 600 Palestinians have been killed since Israel restarted the conflict earlier this week. Israel has cut off the supply of food, fuel and humanitarian aid to about 2 million Palestinians in Gaza, aiming to put pressure on Hamas to impose pressure on the ceasefire negotiations.
The international community condemned the recovery attack. In a statement Friday, foreign ministers from Britain, France and Germany called Israel's strike in Gaza a huge step. “We are shocked by civilian casualties and urgently call for an immediate return to the ceasefire,” they said in a joint statement.
Hamas-led militants attacked about 1,200 people in 2023 and occupied 251 hostages. Most of the hostages have been released in a ceasefire agreement or other transactions. Israeli troops rescued eight live hostages and recovered dozens of bodies.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, Israel's retaliatory offensive killed more than 49,000 Palestinians. It doesn't mean how many militants are, but it says more than half are women and children. Israel said it has killed about 20,000 militants and provided no evidence.
Shurafa reports on Deir Al-Balah in Gaza. Associated Press writer Sam Mednick contributed to the report in Tel Aviv, Israel, Samy Magdy of Cairo and Kirsten Grieshaber of Berlin.
& Copy 2025 Canadian Press
