{"id":5550,"date":"2023-04-06T15:21:38","date_gmt":"2023-04-06T15:21:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=5550"},"modified":"2023-04-06T15:21:38","modified_gmt":"2023-04-06T15:21:38","slug":"rockets-fired-at-israel-from-lebanon-escalates-conflict","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/asia\/middle-east\/israel\/rockets-fired-at-israel-from-lebanon-escalates-conflict\/2023\/04\/06\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"Rockets fired at Israel from Lebanon escalates conflict"},"content":{"rendered":"

JERUSALEM<\/span> (AFP)<\/span> –<\/span>\u00a0Militants<\/span> fired<\/span> ferocious<\/span> rockets<\/span> from<\/span> Lebanon<\/span> into<\/span> Israel<\/span> ,<\/span> the<\/span> Israeli<\/span> military<\/span> said,<\/span> driving<\/span> people<\/span> across<\/span> Israel’s<\/span> northern<\/span> border<\/span> into<\/span> air<\/span> raid<\/span> shelters,<\/span> injuring<\/span> at<\/span> least<\/span> one<\/span> person<\/span> and<\/span> killing<\/span> Israel.<\/span> Tensions<\/span> rose<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> region<\/span> as<\/span> people<\/span> celebrated<\/span> the<\/span> Jewish<\/span> Passover<\/span> holiday.<\/span> \u00a0
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> Israeli<\/span> military<\/span> said<\/span> 34<\/span> rockets<\/span> were<\/span> fired<\/span> across<\/span> the<\/span> border<\/span> and<\/span> 25<\/span> were<\/span> shot<\/span> down<\/span> by<\/span> the<\/span> Iron<\/span> Dome<\/span> air<\/span> defense<\/span> system.<\/span> Another<\/span> five<\/span> fell<\/span> into<\/span> Israeli<\/span> territory<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> rest<\/span> are<\/span> under<\/span> investigation,<\/span> he<\/span> added. The<\/span> military<\/span> said<\/span> its<\/span> response<\/span> would<\/span> follow<\/span> an<\/span> “assessment<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> situation”<\/span> and<\/span> a<\/span> meeting<\/span> of<\/span> Israeli<\/span> security<\/span> ministers<\/span>.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> Iran-backed<\/span> militant<\/span> group<\/span> Hezbollah<\/span> is<\/span> in<\/span> power<\/span> in<\/span> much<\/span> of<\/span> southern<\/span> Lebanon,<\/span> and<\/span> has<\/span> become<\/span> a<\/span> focal<\/span> point<\/span> with<\/span> the<\/span> Israeli<\/span> military.<\/span> Rocket<\/span> fire<\/span> on<\/span> Thursday<\/span> raised<\/span> fears<\/span> of<\/span> a<\/span> major<\/span> fire.<\/span> Over<\/span> the<\/span> past<\/span> two<\/span> days,<\/span> tensions<\/span> have<\/span> escalated<\/span> in<\/span> Jerusalem’s<\/span> most<\/span> sensitive<\/span> holy<\/span> site<\/span> and<\/span> along<\/span> the<\/span> Israeli-Gaza<\/span> border.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> Palestinian<\/span> militant<\/span> group<\/span> Islamic<\/span> Jihad<\/span> hailed<\/span> the<\/span> rockets<\/span> as<\/span> “a<\/span> heroic<\/span> operation<\/span> against<\/span> Israeli<\/span> crimes<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> Al-Aqsa<\/span> Mosque.”<\/span> Lebanese<\/span> state<\/span> media<\/span> reported<\/span> that<\/span> Ismail<\/span> Haniyeh,<\/span> the<\/span> leader<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> Palestinian<\/span> Hamas<\/span> group<\/span> that<\/span> governs<\/span> the<\/span> Gaza<\/span> Strip,<\/span> also<\/span> arrived<\/span> in<\/span> Beirut<\/span> on<\/span> Wednesday.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> site<\/span> where<\/span> the<\/span> Al-Aqsa<\/span> Mosque<\/span> is<\/span> located<\/span> is<\/span> Islam’s<\/span> third<\/span> holiest<\/span> site<\/span> and<\/span> is<\/span> revered<\/span> as<\/span> the<\/span> holiest<\/span> site<\/span> in<\/span> Judaism,<\/span> on<\/span> a<\/span> hill<\/span> known<\/span> to<\/span> Jews<\/span> as<\/span> the<\/span> Temple<\/span> Mount.<\/span> Conflicting<\/span> claims<\/span> about<\/span> the<\/span> site<\/span> have<\/span> already<\/span> escalated<\/span> into<\/span> violence,<\/span> including<\/span> his<\/span> bloody<\/span> 11-day<\/span> war<\/span> two<\/span> years<\/span> ago<\/span> between<\/span> Israel<\/span> and<\/span> Hamas,<\/span> the<\/span> Islamist<\/span> militant<\/span> group<\/span> that<\/span> controls<\/span> Gaza.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>For<\/span> the<\/span> past<\/span> two<\/span> nights<\/span> \u2014<\/span> a<\/span> volatile<\/span> time<\/span> during<\/span> which<\/span> the<\/span> Muslim<\/span> holy<\/span> month<\/span> of<\/span> Ramadan<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> Jewish<\/span> holiday<\/span> of<\/span> Passover<\/span> overlap<\/span> \u2014<\/span> Palestinians<\/span> have<\/span> tried<\/span> to<\/span> barricade<\/span> themselves<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> mosque<\/span> in<\/span> protest<\/span> over<\/span> threats<\/span> by<\/span> religious<\/span> Jews<\/span> to<\/span> sacrifice<\/span> animals<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> sacred<\/span> site<\/span> and<\/span> over<\/span> perceived<\/span> Israeli<\/span> restrictions<\/span> to<\/span> Muslim<\/span> prayers.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Palestinians<\/span> have<\/span> been<\/span> trying<\/span> to<\/span> pray<\/span> overnight<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> mosque,<\/span> which<\/span> authorities<\/span> typically<\/span> only<\/span> permit<\/span> during<\/span> the<\/span> last<\/span> 10<\/span> days<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> monthlong<\/span> holiday.<\/span> In<\/span> the<\/span> last<\/span> days,<\/span> Israeli<\/span> police<\/span> have<\/span> stormed<\/span> into<\/span> the<\/span> mosque<\/span> to<\/span> evict<\/span> worshippers,<\/span> firing<\/span> tear<\/span> gas<\/span> and<\/span> stun<\/span> grenades<\/span> and<\/span> fiercely<\/span> beating<\/span> Palestinians,<\/span> who<\/span> set<\/span> off<\/span> firecrackers<\/span> and<\/span> hurled<\/span> stones.<\/span> Israeli<\/span> authorities<\/span> control<\/span> access<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> area<\/span> but<\/span> the<\/span> compound<\/span> is<\/span> administered<\/span> by<\/span> Islamic<\/span> and<\/span> Jordanian<\/span> officials.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Lebanon’s<\/span> militant<\/span> Hezbollah<\/span> group<\/span> condemned<\/span> the<\/span> storming<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> mosque,<\/span> calling<\/span> it<\/span> \u201ca<\/span> flagrant<\/span> violation<\/span> of<\/span> believers<\/span> in<\/span> Jerusalem<\/span> that<\/span> violated<\/span> religious,<\/span> moral<\/span> and<\/span> human<\/span> values.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/span>Israel<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> Lebanese<\/span> group<\/span> Hezbollah<\/span> fought<\/span> a<\/span> monthlong<\/span> war<\/span> in<\/span> 2006<\/span> that<\/span> ended<\/span> inconclusively.<\/span> Since<\/span> then,<\/span> the<\/span> border<\/span> has<\/span> been<\/span> tense,<\/span> but<\/span> largely<\/span> calm.<\/span> Palestinian<\/span> militants<\/span> have<\/span> also<\/span> fired<\/span> rockets<\/span> at<\/span> Israel<\/span> on<\/span> a<\/span> number<\/span> of<\/span> occasions,<\/span> prompting<\/span> Israeli<\/span> swift<\/span> and<\/span> limited<\/span> retaliation.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>A<\/span> 19-year-old<\/span> man<\/span> was<\/span> slightly<\/span> injured<\/span> by<\/span> shrapnel,<\/span> and<\/span> a<\/span> 60-year-old<\/span> woman<\/span> was<\/span> injured<\/span> after<\/span> falling<\/span> while<\/span> sprinting<\/span> towards<\/span> an<\/span> air<\/span> raid<\/span> shelter,<\/span> according<\/span> to<\/span> Israeli<\/span> medical<\/span> sources.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Videos<\/span> on<\/span> social<\/span> media<\/span> showed<\/span> plumes<\/span> of<\/span> black<\/span> smoke<\/span> rising<\/span> from<\/span> the<\/span> hills<\/span> of<\/span> northern<\/span> Israel<\/span> and<\/span> streaks<\/span> across<\/span> the<\/span> sky<\/span> left<\/span> by<\/span> the<\/span> Iron<\/span> Dome<\/span> system.<\/span> Divergent<\/span> photos<\/span> show<\/span> at<\/span> least<\/span> one<\/span> building<\/span> where<\/span> debris<\/span> fell<\/span> into<\/span> the<\/span> streets<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> northern<\/span> Israeli<\/span> city<\/span> of<\/span> Shlomi,<\/span> smashing<\/span> windows.<\/span> Lebanese<\/span> state<\/span> news<\/span> agency<\/span> reported<\/span> that<\/span> Israeli<\/span> tanks<\/span> along<\/span> the<\/span> border<\/span> had<\/span> fired<\/span> artillery<\/span> shells<\/span> at<\/span> two<\/span> towns<\/span> in<\/span> southern<\/span> Lebanon<\/span> near<\/span> the<\/span> Palestinian<\/span> refugee<\/span> camp<\/span> of<\/span> Rashidie<\/span> in<\/span> retaliation<\/span> –<\/span> a<\/span> claim<\/span> denied<\/span> by<\/span> the<\/span> Israeli<\/span> military.<\/span><\/p>\n


\n<\/span>Muslim<\/span> leaders<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> Middle<\/span> East<\/span> have<\/span> criticized<\/span> Israel’s<\/span> actions<\/span> in<\/span> Al-Aqsa,<\/span> including<\/span> President<\/span> Recep<\/span> Tayyip<\/span> Erdogan,<\/span> with<\/span> whom<\/span> Turkey<\/span> recently<\/span> made<\/span> peace<\/span> with<\/span> Israel<\/span> and<\/span> restored<\/span> full<\/span> diplomatic<\/span> relations.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

JERUSALEM (AFP) –\u00a0Militants fired ferocious rockets from Lebanon into Israel , the Israeli military said, driving people across Israel’s northern border into air raid shelters, injuring at least one person and killing Israel. Tensions rose in the region as people celebrated the Jewish Passover holiday. \u00a0 The Israeli military said 34 rockets were fired across […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5552,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[2452,2455,24,26,276],"tags":[3379,3380,3381,3382,3383,646,3384,1090,3385,1548,3386,1713,3387,2273,3388,3373,3389,3374,3390,3375,3376,3377,3378],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/israelrockt.webp","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5550"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5550"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5550\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5553,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5550\/revisions\/5553"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5550"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5550"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5550"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}