Aftermath of Israeli strike on Hamas targets in Southern Lebanon
(Reuters)
The IDF on Friday told Gaza border residents they were no longer required to remain close to shelters after a night of rocket fire and military strikes on the Strip and on Southern Lebanon including in the area of Tyre and the village of Kleila, where over 30 rockets were launched on Israel's north.
Related stories:
Explosions were heard in the entire area overnight as the military directed missiles at Hamas targets in the south of the country and avoided hitting Hezbollah or Lebanese army assets.
According to the military, it struck infrastructure and Hamas targets.
UNIFIL officials said the peacekeepers were informed of the pending attack.
" Early this morning, the IDF informed UNIFIL that they will begin an artillery response to yesterday’s rocket launches. Immediately after, UNIFIL personnel heard loud explosions around the city of Tyre," they said in a Twitter post adding that there is a real danger of considerable escalation in the area but both sides have said they are not seeking war.
At the same time, rockets were launched from Gaza at southern Israel including the city of Ashkelon after the air force attacked the strip overnight. The Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted some of the rockets and no injuries were reported.
IDF strikes Hamas targets in Gaza early on Friday
(Camera: Mendi Sharon)
The military said it attacked underground terror tunnels in the Bein Hanun area and in Khan Yunis and Hamas weapons production facilities in the northern part of the Strip.
In its statement, the military said the strikes were in response to the actions of Hamas in recent days. "The Hamas terror group is responsible and will pay the price for security violations against Israel," the IDF said.
The military added that in Gaza, 10 targets were hit and 44 rockets were launched and in Lebanon, the IDF attacked three targets. Gaza border residents were urged to remain near shelters until at least 8 am in anticipation of more launches targeting communities in the south.
Attacks
On Friday, the IDF said it was bolstering its ground and artillery forces on the northern and southern borders after rocket fire over the past two days. According to the military, the move is to strengthen Israel's defenses ahead of any possible scenario.
"Our forces are on high alert in the north and south and in the West Bank to protect residents and their movement and to respond to any attempt to harm Israelis," a senior IDF officer said.
The security cabinet met on Thursday evening to discuss the recent violence. Netanyahu said in a statement that the internal strife in Israel over his government's legislative push to change the legal system, will not impede Israel's response to the attacks from the north and the south.
"I have made it clear that our enemies should not misjudge us: The internal debate in Israel will not prevent us from taking action against them wherever and whenever necessary. All of us, without exception, are united on this," Netanyahu said.
"We have no intention of changing the status quo on the Temple Mount. We are calling for calming the situation and we will take strong action against extremists who use violence there," he continued. "Regarding the aggression against us on other fronts, we will strike our enemies and they will pay the price for any act of aggression."
Meanwhile, Muslim worshipers gathering at the Al Aqsa mosque for prayers during Ramadan have been chanting their support for the Hamas terror organization as tensions around the site holy for both Muslims and Jews continue to remain high.
Clashes between police and Palestinians in the mosque were the trigger for the recent cross-border fire.