In an escalation between the Iran-backed Shiite movement and the Jewish state, Lebanon’s Hezbollah fired a barrage of rockets into Israeli forces on Friday, provoking retaliation bombardment.
In a flare-up along the border this week, Israel launched its first air strikes on Lebanese territory in seven years, and Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the first direct missile attack on Israeli land since 2019.
Since a tragic attack on an Israeli-managed ship in the Gulf of Oman last week, tensions between Iran and Israel have been growing.
Following the exchange on Friday morning, Israel stated that it “does not desire to escalate to a complete war,” while UNIFIL, the UN peacekeeping force in the border region, warned of a “very dangerous situation.”
The US State Department urged Lebanon, which has been under the caretaker rule for nearly a year and is home to Hezbollah, to “immediately cease such attacks and bring the territory under its authority.”
The statement comes as Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz called for further US pressure on Lebanon.
In the disputed Shebaa Farms border district, Hezbollah said it fired dozens of missiles at open land near Israeli troops.
According to the statement, the attack was carried out in retaliation for Israeli airstrikes on south Lebanon on Thursday, which was the first since 2014.
Several explosions were heard and smoke could be seen rising from the Shebaa Farms, according to an AFP correspondent in south Lebanon.
Israel said that 19 missiles were launched, six of which landed on Israeli soil.
Three of the attempts failed, while the others were intercepted by air defences, according to the report.
The Israeli army released a video that showed vapour trails in the sky. The military stated that it was “hitting the launch sources in Lebanon,” but provided no further details.
