Israel launched airstrikes in Gaza and Lebanon early Friday, in retaliation for rocket attacks on Israel the government blames on the Islamist group Hamas.
Loud blasts reverberated in parts of Gaza as Israeli jets hit what the military said were tunnels and Hamas weapons manufacturing sites.
The Israeli military said it also targeted Hamas installations in southern Lebanon in strikes launched Friday. A Lebanese television station said there were explosions in the southern port city of Tyre.
The military said it was increasing troop presence along the country’s borders with Lebanon and Gaza “to prepare for all possible scenarios.”
A Lebanese villager checks a huge crater that was made by an Israeli airstrike, in Qalili village, south Lebanon, April 7, 2023.
A Lebanese villager checks a huge crater that was made by an Israeli airstrike, in Qalili village, south Lebanon, April 7, 2023.
Tensions have been brewing in the region recently following the clash between Israeli police and Palestinians inside Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque, Islam’s third-holiest site.
Chaos again erupted at the Al-Aqsa mosque Friday before dawn prayers between Israeli police wielding batons and Palestinian worshippers chanting pro-Hamas slogans, The Associated Press reported.
Meanwhile, Israeli officials say two women were killed and another seriously wounded in a shooting attack on their vehicle Friday in the occupied West Bank near the Hamra settlement. Police say they are looking for suspects.
On Thursday, Israel said dozens of rocket attacks were launched into Israel from Lebanese territory.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday, “Israel’s response, tonight and in the future, will exact a heavy price.”
The United States, Britain and the United Nations, while recognizing Israel’s right to self-defense, have urged restraint.__VOA News
