Early on Friday, Israel launched attacks on the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, citing retaliation for rockets fired at Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas from both territories. The bombing was the largest launched from Lebanon since Israel’s 2006 war with Iran-backed group Hezbollah, and the first attack on Lebanese territory confirmed by Israel since April 2022. The Israeli army claimed to have struck Hamas terror infrastructures in southern Lebanon and hit two tunnels and two weapon manufacturing sites belonging to Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Air defenses intercepted 25 rockets, with five hitting Israeli territory. Tensions have increased between Israel and Palestine during both Jewish Passover and the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. On Wednesday, Israeli police and Palestinians clashed inside Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque, prompting international calls for restraint. On Thursday, the Israeli army said that over 30 rockets had been fired from Lebanon. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel’s response would extract a heavy price.
