On Thursday, Israel experienced a significant escalation in regional tensions as dozens of rockets were fired from Lebanon in response to Israeli police raids at the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), 34 rockets were launched from Lebanese territory, with the majority intercepted and six landing in Israel. The incident marks the largest attack of this kind since the 2006 war between the two nations, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 Lebanese and 165 Israelis.
Social media videos displayed rockets soaring across the skies over northern Israel and distant explosions. Following the rocket barrage, Israel closed its northern airspace. No casualties have been reported, and the responsible Lebanese group has not been identified.
An IDF defense official, who requested anonymity, informed CNN that Israel would "decide on the place and time" of its response. The Israeli military spokesman stated their belief that a Palestinian militant group, rather than the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, was behind the attack.
While the Lebanese army confirmed that several rockets were launched from the country's south, it did not specify who fired them. The army's Twitter account revealed the discovery of "missile launchers and a number of rockets intended for launch" near the Lebanese towns of Zibqin and Qlaileh and announced efforts to dismantle them.
The incident occurred a day after Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, arrived in Beirut for meetings with Hezbollah officials.
Tensions have risen significantly in the region following Israeli police storming the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem twice on Wednesday while Palestinian worshipers offered prayers during Ramadan. Footage from inside the mosque showed Israeli officers beating people with their batons and rifle-butts, then arresting hundreds of Palestinians. Israeli police claimed they entered the mosque after "hundreds of rioters" attempted to barricade themselves inside.
The incident sparked retaliatory rocket fire from Gaza into Israel and widespread condemnation from the Arab and Muslim world. Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi described the current situation as "a very dangerous moment," acknowledging the unfolding events on the Lebanese border as a reaction to the al-Aqsa mosque incident.
Lebanon and Israel are considered enemy states, but a truce between them has largely held since the 2006 war.
The Israeli military attributed the rocket attacks to either Hamas or the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, with international spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht noting that the IDF assumed "Hezbollah knew about it, and Lebanon also has responsibility." However, Hecht emphasized that the IDF believed the attack came from a Palestinian source and did not represent a widening of the conflict to actors outside the direct Israeli-Palestinian conflict, suggesting that tensions might be eased after the incident.
The Lebanese foreign ministry expressed its readiness to cooperate with the United Nations to "restore calm and stability" in the south while urging the international community to pressure Israel to stop escalation, as reported by the state-owned National News Agency.
The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) labeled Thursday's escalation of violence between Lebanon and Israel as "extremely serious." The White House expressed "extreme concern" over the ongoing violence and urged all parties to avoid further escalation.
