Following the Hamas infiltration in Israel from the Gaza Strip, amid rising tension in the region, the Isarea-Lebanon border is also seeing an escalation in tensions. Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group on Sunday fired dozens of rockets and shells onto three Israeli military posts in the Shebaa Farms “in solidarity” with the Palestinian people.
Following the attack, Israel launched a series of artillery barrages into southern Lebanon in response. However, there has been no report of immediate casualties. The Israeli military said it fired artillery into Lebanon where cross-border mortar fire was launched. “IDF (Israel Defense Forces) artillery is currently striking the area in Lebanon from where a shooting was carried out,” it said.
The military claimed that one of its drones struck a Hezbollah post in the Har Dov area. The Shebaa Farms is a 39-square-kilometer patch of land which Israel has held since 1967. However, both Syria and Lebanon claim the Shebaa Farms are Lebanese.
Hezbollah has said it is in “direct contact” with the leaders of Palestinian “resistance” groups. It added that it sees the Palestinian attacks on Israel as a “decisive response to Israel’s continued occupation and a message to those seeking normalisation with Israel”.
Netanyahu vows formidable retribution after Hamas attack
The cross-border firing comes after a surprise attack from the Hamas group on Israeli towns left at least 250 Israelis dead, and abducting several others. Another 230 Gazans were killed in Israel’s retaliatory bombardment.
The attack marked the deadliest outbreak of violence in Israel since the Yom Kippur war 50 years ago. Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to seek “formidable retribution for this heinous day”.
As per the Israeli military, operations are still ongoing in eight areas around the Gaza Strip.
US President Joe Biden had earlier condemned the attack on Israel and expressed solidarity with Israel, which is facing a surprise attack.
He said that the US stands with Israel and “will not ever fail to have their back”. “We’ll make sure that they have the help their citizens need and they can continue to defend themselves,” he added.