Israel fires on Lebanon in response to rockets that kill two, one child

Lebanon has appealed to the UN to pressure Israel to fully withdraw from the country.

Israel struck Lebanon on Saturday in retaliation for rockets targeting Israel, killing at least two, including a child, in the heaviest exchange of fire since the ceasefire with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Lebanon’s health ministry said that the strike in the southern village of Touline killed and wounded eight others. Earlier, rockets were fired from Lebanon into Israel, for the second time since December, sparking concern about whether the fragile ceasefire would hold. A Hezbollah official said on Saturday that it was not responsible for the attack, calling it “primitive,” speaking on condition of anonymity as they are not authorised to speak to the media.

Israel had said that it would respond “severely” to the attack from Lebanon early on Saturday morning, when rockets were fired into northern Israel. Israel’s army said the intercepted rockets targeted the Israeli town of Metula. Under the ceasefire reached in November, Israeli forces were supposed to withdraw from all Lebanese territory by late January. The deadline was then extended to February 18 by agreement between Lebanon and Israel.

But since then, Israel has remained in five locations in Lebanon, across from communities in northern Israel, and has carried out dozens of airstrikes on southern and eastern Lebanon, saying it attacked Hezbollah. Lebanon has appealed to the UN to pressure Israel to fully withdraw from the country.

Israel’s Prime Minister’s office said that it instructed the army to act forcefully against dozens of targets in Lebanon, adding: “Israel will not allow any harm to its citizens and sovereignty.” Israel’s army said it was carrying out strikes on Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon and that it struck dozens of the group’s rocket launchers. The strikes also come a day after Israel said it would carry out operations in Gaza “with increasing intensity” until Hamas frees the 59 hostages it holds—24 of whom are believed alive.  

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