Israeli forces struck a site in southern Lebanon on Saturday, saying it was linked to Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, hours after Lebanon’s first rocket was launched into Israel in months.
The attack was the latest example of the spillover of a new Israeli attack in Gaza in the Middle East. They also confused the relatively calm of months in northern Israel. There, residents who had been evacuated by more than a year of battles between Israel and Hezbollah began to return home.
Israeli forces said they fired three rockets from Lebanon, but there were no reports of casualties. The volley was the first of its kind since last November, when Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire mediated by the US and France.
Hezbollah denied involvement in the rocket fire after resuming Israeli attacks on Hamas, the Palestinian alliance of the Lebanese group this week. These Israeli attacks have already killed more than 600 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, which have not distinguished civilians and combatants.
After igniting the Gaza War after Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, allies of extremist groups in the Middle East began to attack Israel in solidarity. Last year, it escalated into a full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah, with Israel assassinating the Hezbollah leader and launching a ground invasion of southern Lebanon.
Under the conditions of a ceasefire, the Lebanese government is supposed to prevent armed groups like Hezbollah from attacking Israel from Lebanon.
It appeared that Lebanese leaders wanted to cut off a new escalation with Israel. According to national authorities, the recent conflict destroyed Lebanon, killing around 4,000 people and over a million people fled their homes.
After the rocket barrage, Lebanese President Joseph Own denounced what he called “an attempt to return Lebanon to a cycle of violence.” He called on a committee accused of overseeing a ceasefire that includes representatives from the US and France to prevent “violations” that could “threate the country.”
On Saturday, Lebanese forces said they had found and dismantled the rocket launcher in southern Lebanon, a Hezbollah base. The military is different from Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militia that has long had a major influence in Lebanon.
“Military units continue to take necessary measures to control the situation in the South,” the Lebanese army said.
Israeli officials have expressed skepticism about whether Lebanese forces are being challenged.
Israel continues to attack Lebanon despite the truce, claiming it is cracking down on extremists who are violating the ceasefire. The armistice requires that the Lebanese government security forces be the only armed entity in southern Lebanon, but it is unclear how much Hezbollah actually retracted the fighter jets and rocket arrays.
The ceasefire originally stipulated a full withdrawal of Israel by late January, but Israeli forces still control five points within Lebanon’s territory. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israeli forces will remain there indefinitely to protect Israeli towns near the Lebanese border.
The resumed strike in Gaza this week has led to attacks on Israel from at least one other Hamas Alley.
Yemeni Hooti militias – supported by Iran like Hamas and Hezbollah – have resumed ballistic missiles firing in Israel, and hundreds of thousands of Israelis rushed to send fortified bomb shelters. Israeli air defense systems intercepted missiles.
Israeli leaders say they launched an updated attack in Gaza and put Hamas into pressure. Hamas claims Israel is ripping its ceasefire contract.
Euan Ward and Rawan Sheikh Ahmad contributed the report.
