Beirut. After the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the US-Israel attack, South Lebanon-based political and armed organization Hezbollah has started firing rockets at Israel.
This is the first time that Hezbollah, representing Shia Muslims, has attacked Israel since the November 2024 ceasefire agreement. Meanwhile, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Monday that the rocket launching from the southern part of the country was giving Israel an excuse to continue the attack. America, Israel and some countries of the European Union consider Hezbollah a terrorist organization.
“Regardless of the party behind it, launching rockets from southern Lebanon is an irresponsible and suspicious act that jeopardizes Lebanon’s security and gives Israel an excuse to continue attacking it,” the Lebanese prime minister said on social media platform X, without naming Hezbollah.
Nawaf Salam said that we will not let the country get into new troubles and will take all necessary steps to stop the culprits and protect Lebanese citizens.
After the rocket attacks, Israel conducted airstrikes in Hezbollah-controlled areas of Lebanon. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has announced that it has launched attacks on militants across Lebanon.
The military said in a statement that one rocket was intercepted by air defense while the rest fell in open areas. The rocket launch triggered air raid sirens across northern Israel.
Israel’s Magen David Adom Rescue Service said there were no immediate reports of casualties in the attacks, although several people suffered minor injuries while fleeing to shelters.
The Israeli Defense Force said regarding the retaliatory attack, “Immediately after Hezbollah fired rockets, as planned, we launched air strikes in Beirut and southern Lebanon, targeting senior operatives, headquarters and terrorist infrastructure. Israel has continued air strikes in southern and eastern Lebanon and claimed that these strikes are to stop the threats.
Following the attacks in Lebanon, Northern Command Chief MG Rafi Milo said, “Hezbollah chose the Iranian government over the Lebanese government and launched attacks on our common people. We were prepared and they will have to pay a heavy price for it.”
The IDF assured the safety of its people, saying, “We are ready to both defend and attack. My message to the people of the north is ‘We will continue to protect you. We have significantly strengthened military deployments on the border and are ready to receive troops.’
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