Jerusalem/Beirut, May 16 (IANS) Dozens of rockets were fired by Lebanese armed group Hezbollah at northern Israel on Thursday in retaliation for overnight Israeli airstrikes in eastern Lebanon, Israeli and Lebanese sources said.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that about 45 launches were identified crossing from Lebanon toward the annexed Golan Heights and the community of Zarit in the Galilee, triggering sirens in the country’s north, Xinhua news agency reported.
“Several of the launches were successfully intercepted by the IDF Aerial Defense Array,” the military said, adding that no injuries have been reported.
Later, the IDF carried out strikes in southern Lebanon, saying it targeted the sources of fire.
Hezbollah said in a statement that its fighters launched “more than 60 Katyusha rockets,” targeting several Israeli military posts in the Golan Heights. The group said that the strikes were a response to Israeli attacks overnight between Wednesday and Thursday in the Baalbek area in eastern Lebanon.
Tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border escalated on October 8, 2023, following a barrage of rockets launched by Hezbollah toward Israel in solidarity with Hamas’ attack on Israel the day before. Israel then retaliated by firing heavy artillery toward southeastern Lebanon.
–IANS
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