Hezbollah fires rockets amid Iran strike fears
Dozens of rockets were fired by Hezbollah into northern Israel yesterday in a possible prelude to a feared Iranian revenge attack, as the United States reinforced its military presence in the Middle East.
The Iran-backed terrorist group, which has conducted frequent cross-border attacks on Israel, claimed in a statement that it fired the volley in response to Israeli air strikes in Lebanon.
The Israeli military said about 40 rockets had been launched, some of which were intercepted, along with two kamikaze drones. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Israel is on high alert for a revenge attack by Iranian forces or their regional proxy forces, of which Hezbollah is the most powerful. Tehran has threatened reprisals after an Israeli strike on its consulate in Damascus on April 1 killed 13 people. Israel has vowed to respond against Iran if attacked.
It was unclear how much of an escalation the latest launches constituted, given previous exchanges of fire. However, the threats from Iran, and American intelligence reports about a possible “imminent” escalation in the Israel-Hamas war, have prompted the Pentagon to deploy a US aircraft carrier group to the northern Red Sea, as well as other unspecified resources.
Earlier reports indicated that the Pentagon was deploying extra air defence systems to guard against the possibility that a strike against Israel would also target US forces.
Three US service personnel were killed in January when a drone launched by Islamist factions in the region hit a military outpost in Jordan. US troops stationed in Iraq and Syria also came under attack by Iran-backed proxy forces on more than 100 occasions between October and February.
France, Poland and India have joined the growing number of countries urging citizens not to travel to Israel.
The British government had already previously advised against all travel to Gaza, the West Bank and parts of northern Israel. It advises against all but essential travel to the rest of Israel.
The advice means that British holiday companies should not operate in the country, although flights are unaffected at present. British Airways resumed flights to Tel Aviv on April 1, flying four times a week via Larkana in Cyprus.
Sources said the British government was monitoring the situation and would change its advice if needed.
The French foreign ministry has advised its citizens against travelling to Iran, Lebanon, Israel and the Palestinian territories. It added that relatives of Iran-based diplomats would return to France.
The advice came as the US embassy in Israel said staff had been told not to travel outside the greater Jerusalem, Tel Aviv or Beersheba areas “out of an abundance of caution”.
Poland's foreign ministry also updated its travel guidance yesterday to advise against travel to Israel, Palestine and Lebanon.
RNZ reported yesterday the New Zealand Government was uging Kiwis to avoid Israel’s borders with Lebanon, Syria and Gaza.