Strikes come as freed hostages and family members of people still held in Gaza urge Netanyahu to stop the fighting
Israeli artillery and airstrikes hit southern Lebanon on Saturday, in a fresh clash endangering the shaky truce that ended a year-long conflict against Hezbollah, as 40 survivors of Hamas captivity called on the Israeli government to halt the “endless war”.’
Three rockets fired from Lebanon towards Israel were intercepted by the Israeli air force, according to a spokesperson for the Israeli army, the first time in more than three months that groups in Lebanon have fired at Israel.
The Israeli air force carried out dozens of airstrikes in south Lebanon, causing injuries in the border village of Kafr Kila, according to the Lebanese health ministry.
The exchange of fire was the most intense since the adoption of a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah on 27 November, which ended more than 13 months of fighting between the two that had left more than 3,900 people dead and 1 million displaced in Lebanon.
The Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, warned of a severe response to the rocket fire, which was shot at the Israeli border village of Metula.
“Metula and Beirut will be treated the same. The Lebanese government is fully responsible for any fire originating from its territory,” Katz said.
It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the rocket fire from Lebanon, and a spokesperson from Hezbollah declined a request for comment.
The Lebanese army said that it found and dismantled what it called three “primitive rocket launchers” in south Lebanon after the rocket fire towards Israel. Pictures released by the army showed fragments of bombs and three wooden posts dug into the earth, seemingly used in the launching of the rockets.
The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah has stopped full-scale military hostilities between the two warring parties, though Israel has conducted hundreds of airstrikes on Lebanon despite the truce. Israel has maintained that it reserves the right to unilaterally enforce any violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon and has continued to strike what it says are Hezbollah targets across the country.
Hezbollah launched rockets near an Israeli military post in the week after the establishment of the ceasefire, but otherwise has not attacked Israel since.
