In response to rocket attacks that it said were carried out by Hamas, the Israeli military carried out strikes early on Friday morning in both Gaza and Lebanon.
At a time when tensions were on the verge of escalating out of control as a result of recent police operations on the Al-Aqsa masjid in Jerusalem, the Israeli military took action early on Friday morning to retaliate for rocket strikes it blamed on Hamas. These attacks were carried out in Lebanon and Gaza.
Israel has stated that its jets had targeted 10 targets in Gaza, including “weapons and tunnels development and manufacturing sites.” Hamas is in control of the besieged southern coastal region, and Israel has stated that its jets have caused loud explosions throughout Gaza.
People living nearby the Rashidiyeh refugee camp close to the town of Tyre in the south of Lebanon reported hearing three loud explosions around the time that the military announced that it had struck 3 Hamas infrastructure goals in southern Lebanon. This announcement was made around 4:00 in the morning.
According to a statement released by Hamas, they have “strongly condemned the brazen Zionist onslaught against Lebanon within the area of Tyre before dawn today.”
According to two Lebanese security officials, the strike hit a tiny structure that was located on farmland close to the location where the rockets had indeed been officially launched.
According to witnesses who spoke to Reuters, the strike looked to have created a massive crater in the agricultural land that is located in the south.
On Friday morning, a soldier of Lebanon’s Civil Defense who was there at the location reported that there had been no deaths.
The strikes were a reaction to rocket fire from Lebanon into northern Israel, which Israeli officials pinned on Hamas. The rockets were fired into Israeli territory from Lebanon. According to the military, 34 rockets were fired from Lebanon, but only 25 of them were stopped by the missile defense systems that were in place. Since Israel engaged in a battle with the highly armed Hezbollah organization in 2006, this was the most significant attack of its kind since then.
Following the conclusion of a meeting of the security cabinet, PM Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel’s response, both today and in the future, would exact a severe price on our adversaries.
During the time that the Israeli jets were conducting their strikes in Gaza, it was reported that salvoes of rockets were being fired in return, and sirens were heard in Israeli cities and towns located in border areas. However, thIsraelere weren’t any reports of major deaths, and just one missile hit its intended target, causing damage to a residence in the city of Sderot, which is located in the south of Israel.
In the midst of a rising confrontation caused by Israeli police incursions During the holy month of Ramazan of the Muslim, at the Al-Aqsa masjid complex in Jerusalem., which is also associated with the Jewish festival of Passover this year, cross-border attacks were carried out.
According to a statement released by Hamas, “We hold the Israeli occupation entirely responsible for the severe escalation and the shameless attack on Gaza as well as the repercussions which will bring into the area.”
The statement that was released by the Prime Minister of Lebanon, Najib Mikati, condemned any military activities that were conducted from Lebanon’s soil that posed a threat to the country’s stability; however, there wasn’t an immediate reply from Hezbollah. Hashem Safieddine, a senior official with Hezbollah, made this statement shortly before the launch of rockets. He claimed that any violation of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound will stir up the whole region.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reported that it had been in communication with both sides of the conflict and that both sides had stated that they were not seeking war. Nonetheless, UNIFIL reported that the scenario risked development and encouraged all parties to stop their actions.
According to a spokesperson for the Israeli military, the Israeli operation has been concluded—at least for the time being. He told the reporters that nobody desires an escalation at this point in time. At this point, I believe that stillness will be met by quieter, at the very least within the next few hours.
