Israel launched airstrikes in the Gaza Strip overnight Thursday-Friday, hitting a series of sites belonging to the Hamas terror group, in retaliation for a barrage of rockets from the Palestinian enclave as well as from Lebanon — attacks Israel blames on Hamas.
In the early hours of Friday morning, Israel also staged strikes in Lebanon, targeting “terrorist infrastructures belonging to Hamas” in the southern part of the country. Hamas has a strong presence in southern Lebanon’s Palestinian refugee camps.
The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement Friday that Israel “will not allow the Hamas terrorist organization to operate from within Lebanon and holds the state of Lebanon responsible for every directed fire emanating from its territory.”
After no additional rockets were fired in the morning, the military after several hours removed all restrictions on border towns — which had required residents to stay near bomb shelters — in what was seen by Hebrew media as a sign that the IDF was viewing the current flareup on the Gaza front as over.
The current round of violence began Tuesday following clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinians at the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the flashpoint Temple Mount site in Jerusalem’s Old City. That led Thursday to rocket fire from Gaza and, in a significant escalation, an unusual barrage of nearly three dozen rockets from Lebanon into northern Israel. The fighting comes during a delicate time — when Jews are celebrating the Passover holiday and Muslims are marking the holy month of Ramadan.
Similar tensions spilled over into an 11-day war between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers in 2021.
On Friday, at least three explosions were heard in southern Lebanon’s Tyre region at dawn on Friday, according to AFP reporters. “At least two shells fell near” a Palestinian refugee camp near Tyre city, said camp resident Abu Ahmad, who told AFP he “heard explosions.”
A missile fell on a farmer’s house near the camp, causing material damage, an AFP correspondent in the area said.
The pro-Iranian Hezbollah channel Al-Manar reported that the shelling had targeted three areas in southern Lebanon, including the refugee camp area.
Overnight, the IDF said it first struck two tunnels operated by Hamas, two weapon production sites, and an anti-aircraft missile launcher.
The first Hamas tunnel struck by the IDF was located near the northern Gaza city of Beit Hanoun, the military said. The second, near the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, was first struck during the 2021 Gaza war. The IDF said it had identified recent efforts to rebuild it.
“The two tunnels did not cross into Israeli territory and did not pose a threat to Israeli civilians,” the military said in a statement, confirming the strikes.
Additionally, two sites allegedly used by Hamas to manufacture weapons were targeted.
The IDF said its airstrikes in the early hours of Friday were in response to “Hamas’ security violations” in recent days.
Later in the early hours of Friday morning, the IDF said a drone took out a heavy machine gun in northern Gaza. The military said the weapon was used to fire at Israeli aircraft amid the strikes over the Palestinian enclave, and at Israeli territory.
Hamas members also launched anti-aircraft missiles at Israeli aircraft.
In response to the strikes, Palestinian terrorists launched more rockets at southern Israel on Friday morning, prompting fresh Israeli airstrikes.
In the second round of strikes on Friday morning, fighter jets took out a shaft from an underground weapons production site, three other sites for weapons manufacturing, a tunnel, and a series of observation posts, all belonging to Hamas, the military said.
“The strikes were carried out in response to Hamas’ security violations in recent days,” the military said, in reference to rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip and a major barrage of 34 rockets fired from Lebanon toward northern Israel on Thursday, in the largest such attack in some 17 years.
“The IDF holds the Hamas terrorist organization responsible for all terror activities emanating from the Gaza Strip and it will face the consequences of the security violations against Israel,” the IDF said.
A Hamas spokesperson said in a press statement Friday that the “resistance was capable of repelling [Israel’s] aggression against our people” and that the terror organization will act as “a shield and a sword for our people and the Al-Aqsa Mosque,” where clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces broke out Tuesday night.
In a statement, Hamas said Israel was “responsible for this aggression and its consequences” and called for all Palestinian groups to unite against “the occupation”.
Israel “will pay the price for its crimes,” said the spokesperson.
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