Israel has launched a retaliatory attack on Lebanon that has left six people, including a child, dead in some of the most intense gunfire since a ceasefire with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah nearly four months ago.
The rockets fired from Lebanon were the second since December, raising concerns about whether the ceasefire will hold. In a statement, Hezbollah denied any involvement in the latest incident, insisting it was committed to the truce.
Israel said it would respond “harshly” to Saturday's attack on the north of the country.
The Israeli army said the intercepted rockets were aimed at the town of Metula. An Israeli spokesman said six rockets were fired, three of which crossed the border and were intercepted.
The spokesman said Israel could not determine which group had fired the rockets, adding that the military had struck targets in southern Lebanon.
Lebanon's state news agency said the strike in the southern village of Tulin killed five people, including a child, and wounded 10 others, including two children.
Israel again attacked Hezbollah positions in Lebanon on Saturday evening, hitting a garage in the coastal city of Tyre, NNA reported, killing one person and wounding seven. It was the first attack on the city since the ceasefire began.
Five people were wounded in the attack on the village of Khaush al-Said Ali on the border with Syria, the National Army said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said it had ordered the army to take decisive action against multiple targets in Lebanon, adding: “Israel will not allow harm to its citizens and sovereignty.”
The Israeli army said the strikes hit dozens of rocket launchers and a command center where Hezbollah operated.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called on the Lebanese armed forces to take all necessary measures in the south, but stressed that the country does not want to return to war.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
