After heavy shelling by suspected militant Palestinian organizations from Lebanon, Israel’s army has attacked targets in the Gaza Strip – and also in Lebanon. According to security sources, a field near a Palestinian refugee camp was hit there. So far there is no information about possible victims. At least three explosions were heard in the early hours of the morning. Some houses in the area were damaged in the attacks, eyewitnesses reported to the German Press Agency. The explosions caused panic among local residents.
According to the Israeli army, fighter jets had previously bombed weapons factories owned by the Islamist Hamas, which rules in the Gaza Strip. It was initially unclear whether there were injuries or even deaths. In the meantime, a rocket alarm had been triggered in the border area with the Gaza Strip, the army said. Palestinian eyewitnesses said shells and rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel after the Israeli bombardment. It was initially unclear which militant group was behind the attacks.
Israel came under heavy fire from Lebanon for the first time in more than a decade and a half on Thursday afternoon. In total, at least 34 rockets were fired into Israeli territory from the neighboring country, the army said. The national missile defense system Iron Dome (Eiserner Dom) intercepted 25 missiles. Five rockets landed in Israeli territory. The whereabouts of four others are being checked. According to Israeli media reports, this was the heaviest shelling from Lebanon since 2006.
Two men inspect the damage allegedly caused by Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon.
(Photo: Aziz Taher/Reuters)
Lebanon’s Prime Minister condemns the attacks from his country
Israel and Lebanon are officially at war, and tensions have flared up on the border. Lebanon’s Acting Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned rocket fire from his country towards Israel. “Lebanon vehemently opposes any military escalation emanating from its country, as well as the use of Lebanese territory to conduct operations that may threaten existing stability,” Mikati said in Beirut. It was unclear which group was behind the attacks. Lebanese security circles said that most of the flying objects were so-called Katyusha– Missiles should act. They are mainly used by Palestinian groups.
According to the Israeli rescue service Magen David Adom, at least two people in northern Israel were slightly injured. A 19-year-old suffered a minor injury from shrapnel, and a 60-year-old was injured on the way to a shelter. In addition, other people should have been treated for stress symptoms, it said. Sirens could be heard in several places. Local residents have been instructed to seek shelter. The Israeli security cabinet met in the evening.
Attacks also from the Gaza Strip
For the second day in a row, Palestinian attackers launched rocket attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip. There were no reports of injuries. For two days in a row, there had been clashes between Israeli police officers and Palestinians on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. According to eyewitnesses, the police tried to get Palestinians out of the al-Aqsa mosque, using stun grenades and rubber bullets.
According to the Israeli police, they felt compelled to act on the first night after “masked agitators” had holed up on the premises. More than 350 people were arrested and taken away. According to rescue workers, dozens of people were injured, including Israeli security forces.
The Red Crescent accused the Israelis of preventing paramedics from reaching the mosque. The Temple Mount in Jerusalem is a holy site for Muslims and Jews. Tensions have increased there in recent years. This year, a further complication is that the Muslim month of fasting, Ramadan, coincides with the Jewish Passover and Christian Easter, which means that more people from all religious groups are visiting the site.
The latest escalation came amid incursions by Israeli security forces into the West Bank in recent months, which have killed more than 250 Palestinians and arrested thousands. More than 40 Israelis and three Ukrainians have been killed in attacks by Palestinians.