Israeli jets strike rocket launch sites in Lebanon

JERUSALEM: Israeli jets struck what its military said were rocket launch sites in Lebanon early on Thursday in response to two rockets fired towards Israel from Lebanese territory, in an escalation of cross-border hostilities amid heightened tensions with Iran.

The rockets launched from Lebanon on Wednesday struck open areas in northern Israel, causing brush fires along the hilly frontier. There was no claim of responsibility for the attack, launched from an area of south Lebanon under the sway of Iranian-backed Hezbollah guerrillas.

Israel responded with several rounds of artillery fire on Wednesday before launching airstrikes early on Thursday morning, the military said.

“[Military] fighter jets struck the launch sites and infrastructure used for terror in Lebanon from which the rockets were launched,” the military said.

The military also struck an area that had seen rocket launches in the past, it added.

Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV said that Israeli warplanes had carried out two raids on the outskirts of the Lebanese town of Mahmudiya, about 12km from the Israeli border. There were no reports of casualties.

Speaking to Israel’s YNet TV, defence minister Benny Gantz said, “This was an attack meant to send a message ... Clearly we could do much more, and we hope we won’t arrive at that.”

Gantz said he believed a Palestinian faction had launched the rockets. Small Palestinian factions in Lebanon have fired sporadically on Israel in the past.

The border incidents occurred after a suspected drone attack last Thursday on a tanker off the coast of Oman that Israel, the United States and Britain blamed on Iran.

Two crew members, a Briton and a Romanian, were killed. Iran has denied any involvement.