Israel strikes Lebanon after rocket attack

Israel hit dozens of Hezbollah rocket launchers and a command centre in southern Lebanon Saturday, responding to three rockets fired into its northern town of Metula—the first breach of November’s ceasefire. 

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) intercepted the rockets; no injuries were reported. Lebanon’s state media said one person died in the Israeli strikes.  

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had ordered the IDF to “act forcefully” against terror targets earlier. No group claimed the rocket fire, but Lebanon’s prime minister warned against a slide into “new war.” The Lebanese army found and dismantled “three primitive rocket launchers” in a search operation.  

The UN’s peacekeeping force, Unifil, called the escalation “alarming,” urging both sides to honour the truce that ended 14 months of Hezbollah-Israel clashes. Israel, which holds five southern Lebanese sites—defying ceasefire terms—says Lebanon’s military hasn’t secured the border. Lebanon calls it a sovereignty breach.  

Hezbollah, silent amid Israel’s near-daily strikes, faces pressure to disarm and aid war-hit communities. President Joseph Aoun insists only the state should bear arms, a nod to curbing the Iran-backed group’s arsenal—a condition for international aid.