Israel launched retaliatory strikes against Lebanon amid a shaky ceasefire with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah brokered late last year, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
The Israeli military said it struck dozens of Hezbollah rocket launchers and a command center in response to the Lebanese militant group’s rockets that targeted the Jewish State this weekend.
The IDF said on Saturday the rockets fired toward Galilee, a region in northern Israel, were “a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon and is a direct threat to the citizens of the State of Israel.”
“The State of Lebanon bears responsibility for upholding the agreement,” the IDF wrote. “The IDF will continue to act as required in order [to] protect Israeli citizens.”
Six rockets were fired into Israel earlier Saturday. Three crossed into the Jewish State’s territory and were intercepted, an Israeli official told The Associated Press (AP). The identity of the group that fired the rockets could not be confirmed by Israel, the official added.
Hezbollah said it was not responsible for the Saturday attack and that the group is dedicated to upholding the ceasefire, according to AP.
The exchange between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon was the first major incident since the two sides struck a ceasefire agreement in November last year. The back-and-forth came as Israel has continued its strikes in the Gaza Strip aimed at eliminating the Palestinian militant group Hamas, an ally of Hezbollah.
Since Israel resumed its assault in the Gaza Strip, some 600 people have been killed, according to local health officials, a tally that does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.
Since Hamas’ terrorist attack on Oct. 7, 2023 against Israel, which killed around 1,200 Israelis and the militants group took some 250 hostages, other groups in the region, backed by Iran, have directed their aim t Israel.
Hezbollah began attacking Israel on Oct. 8, 2023. The Israel-Hezbollah war escalated in September last year with the IDF launching airstrikes and killing the majority of the Lebanese militant group’s leadership.
