Hezbollah fires rocket barrage at Israel in response to air raids

The Lebanese group, Hezbollah, has said it fired rockets at open ground near Israeli positions in response to Israeli air raids on southern Lebanon, drawing retaliatory Israeli strikes for a second consecutive day.

In a statement on Friday, the Iranian-backed and heavily armed Hezbollah said in a statement it had fired dozens of rockets in the disputed Shebaa Farms area after Israeli fighters early on Thursday launched rare air raids on neighbouring Lebanon following a second day of rocket fire across the border.

The Shia group also said the Israeli air attacks had hit open ground in Lebanon.

Later on Friday, the Israeli military said its fighter jets had struck southern Lebanon after more than 10 rockets were fired across the border.

The air force is “currently striking the launch sources in Lebanon”, it said.

“More than 10 rockets were fired from Lebanon into Israeli territory. Most of the rockets were intercepted by the … aerial defence system while the rest of them landed in open areas adjacent to Har Dov,” the disputed Shebaa Farms border district, the air force said on Twitter.

Israel’s Army Radio also reported that the military fired shells and artillery towards parts of southern Lebanon under the control of Hezbollah.

Air raid sirens sounded in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel, and in the Golan Heights, part of the territory Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war.

It was the third day of cross-border hostilities that threaten a period of calm prevailing since 2006, when Israel and Hezbollah fought a one-month war.

Rockets fired from Lebanon two days ago drew retaliatory Israeli shelling and air attacks, in an escalation of cross-border hostilities.

Aljazeera