2 Rockets Fired at Israel from Lebanon Drawing Artillery Response
Israel shelled south Lebanon early Tuesday in response to an earlier rocket attack, the Israeli army said, as the United Nations urged all sides to show "maximum restraint."
The Israeli army said "two rockets were fired from Lebanon into Israeli territory," with one intercepted by air defenses while the other struck open ground.
"In response, a short while ago (Israeli) artillery struck in Lebanese territory," the army said.
A Lebanese security source told AFP the rockets were fired at Israel from the Qlaileh area of southern Lebanon, where a third rocket was also found.
The source said the Lebanese Army had not identified the group responsible for the launch.
The U.N. peacekeeping force in the border region, UNIFIL, said it had boosted security in the area and "launched an investigation" in collaboration with the Lebanese military.
"UNIFIL is in direct contact with the parties to urge maximum restraint and avoid further escalation," it said in a statement.
The last time rockets were fired from Lebanon into Israel was in May, during an 11-day conflict between Israel and Palestinian armed groups in the Gaza Strip.
In recent weeks, Israeli security officials have expressed growing concern over the deepening economic crisis in Lebanon and its ramifications for border security.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz tweeted: "The state of Lebanon is responsible for the rockets fired overnight, as it allows terrorists to operate within its territory."
"We will not allow the social, political and economic crisis in Lebanon to turn into a security threat to Israel. I call on the international community to take action to restore stability in Lebanon," Gantz added.
The incident came hours after a Syrian military official said Israel carried out airstrikes near the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. The Syrian state news agency said air defenses intercepted most of the missiles in the attack.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor that has activists on the ground in Syria, said the Israeli strikes targeted weapons depots belonging to Iranian-backed militant groups operating in the region.
Israel has carried out scores of airstrikes in Syria in recent years targeting Iranian forces there, and attacking what Israel says are weapons shipments bound for Iran-backed Hizbullah in Lebanon.
The Israeli military rarely comments on these strikes.
Source: Agence France Presse, Associated Press
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