Beirut, Lebanon (AP)-Israel struck Lebanon on Saturday in retaliation for rockets targeting Israel, killing two, including a child, in the heaviest shooting exchange since his ceasefire with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah almost four months ago.
The Rockets from Lebanon were the second launched since December and once again a concern as to whether the cease-fire would be held. In a statement, Hezbollah denied being responsible for the last attack, saying that it was attached to the truce.
WATCH: After delays in ceasefire negotiations with Hamas, Israel is renewing attacks on Gaza
Israel said he would “severely” respond to the attack on the beginning of Saturday targeting northern Israel. The Israeli army said that the rockets intercepted targeted the Israeli city of Metula. An Israeli official said that six rockets had been drawn and three crossings on Israeli territory and were intercepted.
The official said that Israel could not confirm the identity of the group that pulled the rockets. The official said the soldiers hit targets in southern Lebanon.
The Lebanon Ministry of Health said that the southern strike of the village of Touline had killed two people and injured eight others.
The office of the Israeli Prime Minister said he had asked the army to act forcefully against dozens of targets in Lebanon, adding: “Israel will allow no harm to its citizens and sovereignty.” The Israeli army said it had hit dozens of rocket launchers and a command center where Hezbollah operated.
In a statement, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam asked Lebanese soldiers to take all the necessary measures in the South, but said the country did not want to return to war.
Hezbollah began to launch rockets, drones and missiles in Israel the day after Hamas 2023, the attack on Gaza ignited the war there. The Israel-Hezbollah conflict made a total war in September while Israel made massive waves of air strikes and killed most of the senior leaders of the militant group. The fighting killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon and moved around 60,000 Israelis.
The Israeli forces were supposed to withdraw from all the Lebanese territory at the end of January under a cease-fire struck on November 27. The deadline was extended to February 18.
But Israel stayed in five places in Lebanon, opposite the communities of northern Israel. He made dozens of air strikes in the south and east of Lebanon, saying that he had attacked Hezbollah, while continuing drone attacks that killed several members of the militant group.
Lebanon has called on the UN to put pressure on Israel to fully withdraw from the country.
The provisional strength of the United Nations in Lebanon, known as Unifil, said that it was alarmed by the possible escalation of violence and urged all the parties to avoid compromising the progress made.
Israeli air strikes book Gaza
The strikes occurred one day after Israel said that it would carry out operations in Gaza “with increasing intensity” until Hamas releases the 59 hostages it holds – of which 24 are supposed to be alive.
Friday evening, the Israeli strikes killed at least nine people, including three children, in a house in Gaza City, according to the Al-Ahli hospital, which received the bodies.
“The rubble and the glass started to come across us,” said Sameh Al-Mashharawi, who lost her brother in the attack. He cried with his young nephew Samir Al-Mashharawi, whose parents and sisters were killed. The 12 -year -old man, his head and the blindfolded wrists, sat in the back of a truck and cried.
The Israeli army said on Friday that its forces provided new assaults in three districts west of Gaza City and had issued warnings on social networks so that the Palestinians evacuate the areas.
About 600 Palestinians have been killed since Israel has relaunched war earlier this week. Israel had already cut the supply of food, fuel and humanitarian aid to around 2 million Palestinians from Gaza, aimed at putting pressure on ceasefire negotiations.
The international community has condemned recovery attacks.
The initial attack of 2023 by activists led by Hamas killed some 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and took 251 hostages. Most hostages have been released in ceasefire agreements or other agreements. Israeli forces have saved eight living hostages and recovered the bodies of dozens of others.
Israel’s reprisal offensive killed more than 49,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. He does not say how many activists were activists, but said that more than half of the people killed were women and children. Israel says he killed around 20,000 activists, without providing evidence.
Shurafa reported Deir al-Balah, Gaza. The writers of the Associated Press Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel, Samy Magdy in Cairo and Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin contributed to this report.