Rockets fired from Lebanon towards Israel as Gaza is bombed

A salvo of rockets have been fired from southern Lebanon towards Israel, as tensions mount in the border region where Israeli forces and armed factions in Lebanon have exchanged fire over the last three days.

The news outlets Reuters and AFP reported on Tuesday that a number of rockets had been fired towards Israel, with Reuters citing a security source who said that Palestinian factions had carried out the action.

The UN peacekeeping force in the area, known as UNFIL, said that it was working to verify reports of rocket fire.  Israeli forces responded to the missiles with artillery fire.

“In response to the launches identified from Lebanese territory toward Israeli territory, IDF (army) soldiers are currently responding with artillery fire,” a statement from the Israeli military said.

Questions of a possible escalation in fighting between Israeli forces and the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah, based in Lebanon, have loomed over the unfolding war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza over the last several days.

Thus far, the parties have walked a careful line, with limited fire that has allowed each side to avoid a potentially devastating confrontation.

“What’s happening here seems to be a kind of contained tension. Lebanon is not yet a war zone. However it’s an area of operation. But it seems it’s also a space for both sides to exchange messages,” Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem reported from southern Lebanon, who said the rockets fired towards Israel were intercepted by Israel’s anti-missile system.

Hezbollah has expressed support for the Palestinians, and fired missiles on Israeli positions in the disputed Shebaa Farms area along the border on Sunday. Three Hezbollah members were killed in an Israeli bombardment on Monday.

Hezbollah also denied involvement in an attack on the Israeli border on Monday, for which the armed group Palestinian islamic Jihad claimed responsibility.

If Hezbollah were to throw itself into the war between Israel and Hamas, the conflict would become a two-front war for Israel.

Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies