Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has warned that his country is at risk of being drawn into a “new war” after Israel said it would respond to five rockets fired from Lebanon towards the northern Israeli town of Metula.
The Israeli military claimed to have intercepted the rockets, marking the first such attack in three months.
The exchange of fire comes amidst an already tense situation in the region. Five children were killed in a major overnight air attack on Gaza City, and at least eight members of the family remain trapped under the rubble.
The escalation in Gaza has already seen nearly 600 Palestinians killed after Israel broke a ceasefire agreement with Hamas on Tuesday.
The rocket fire, which Israel says originated from a district near the border, marks the first such attack in three months. This escalation threatens the fragile ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, which had brought an end to months of cross-border hostilities.
The Israeli military reported that the rockets were intercepted near the northern town of Metula, triggering alarms in the region. In retaliation, Israel launched artillery fire at Lebanese towns in the south, with airstrikes targeting several locations closer to the border.
No casualties have been reported on either side at this stage, but tensions are high.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned of a severe response to any future rocket attacks from Lebanon. "We will not allow rocket fire from Lebanon on the Galilee communities," he said, referring to the Israeli region bordering Lebanon. "We promised security to the communities of the Galilee - and that is exactly how it will be."
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the attack and called for heightened military readiness, fearing the situation could escalate into a wider conflict. "All security and military measures must be taken to show that Lebanon decides on matters of war and peace," Salam said.
The incident is the latest in a series of flare-ups between Israel and Hezbollah, since the breakdown of the ceasefire in Gaza after Israel resumed airstrikes against Hamas.
The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, brokered by the United States, had largely held since November, ending a prolonged military engagement that resulted in significant casualties on both sides.
The Israeli army is still investigating the perpetrators of the rocket fire, and Hezbollah has not yet commented on the incident.
According to the ceasefire agreement, Hezbollah was to have no weapons in southern Lebanon, and Israel was expected to withdraw its troops from the region.
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