BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) — Israel struck Lebanon on Saturday in retaliation for rockets targeting Israel, killing two, including a child, in the heaviest exchange of fire since the ceasefire with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
Earlier, rockets were fired from Lebanon into Israel, for the second time since December, sparking concern about whether the fragile ceasefire would hold. In a statement Saturday, Hezbollah denied being responsible for the attack, saying that it was committed to the truce and accused Israel of blaming it for the strikes as a pretext for more attacks.
Israel had said that it would respond “severely” to the early Saturday attack from Lebanon when rockets were fired into northern Israel. Israel's army said the intercepted rockets targeted the Israeli town of Metula.
Lebanon’s health ministry said Saturday that the strike in the southern village of Touline also wounded eight others.
Hezbollah began launching rockets, drones and missiles into Israel the day after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack out of Gaza ignited the war there. The Israel-Hezbollah conflict boiled over into an all-out war in September as Israel carried out massive waves of airstrikes and killed most of the militant group’s senior leaders. The fighting killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon and displaced about 60,000 Israelis.
Under the ceasefire reached in November, Israeli forces were supposed to withdraw from all Lebanese territory by late January. The deadline was then extended to Feb. 18 by agreement between Lebanon and Israel.
But since then, Israel has remained in five locations in Lebanon, across from communities in northern Israel, and has carried out dozens of airstrikes on southern and eastern Lebanon, saying it attacked Hezbollah, while continuing targeted drone attacks that have so far killed several members of the militant group.
Lebanon has appealed to the U.N. to pressure Israel to fully withdraw from the country.
Israel's Prime Minister's office said Saturday it instructed the army to act forcefully against dozens of targets in Lebanon, adding: “Israel will not allow any harm to its citizens and sovereignty." Israel's army said Saturday it was carrying out strikes on Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon and that it struck dozens of the group’s rocket launchers and a command center where Hezbollah was operating.
A Hezbollah official told The Associated Press Saturday that it was not responsible for the attack, calling it “primitive,” speaking on condition of anonymity as they are not authorized to speak to the media.
In a statement, Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam asked the Lebanese military to take all necessary measures in the south but said the country did not want to return to war.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, said it was alarmed at the possible escalation of violence and urged all parties to avoid jeopardizing the progress made, saying further escalation could have serious consequences for the region.
Israeli airstrikes pound Gaza
The strikes come a day after Israel said it would carry out operations in Gaza “with increasing intensity” until Hamas frees the 59 hostages it holds — 24 of whom are believed alive. Late Friday night, Israeli strikes killed at least nine people, including three children, in a house in Gaza City, according to Al-Ahly Hospital, which received the bodies.
Israel's military said Friday its forces were planning fresh assaults into three neighborhoods west of Gaza City and issued warnings on social media for Palestinians to evacuate the areas.
Also on Friday, Israel blew up the only specialized cancer hospital in the war-torn territory. The Israeli military said it struck the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, accusing Hamas militants of operating on-site. Turkey, which helped build and fund the hospital, said Israeli troops at one point used it as a base.
Around 600 Palestinians have been killed since Israel relaunched the war earlier this week. Israel had already cut off the supply of food, fuel, and humanitarian aid to Gaza’s roughly 2 million Palestinians, aiming to pressure Hamas over ceasefire negotiations.
The international community has condemned the resumed attacks. In a statement Friday, the foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, France and Germany called Israel's strikes in Gaza a dramatic step backward. “We are appalled by the civilian casualties and urgently call for an immediate return to a ceasefire," they said in a joint statement.
The attack by Hamas-led militants in 2023 killed some 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. Most of the hostages have been freed in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israeli forces have rescued eight living hostages and recovered the bodies of dozens more.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 49,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. It does not say how many were militants but says more than half of those killed were women and children. Israel says it has killed around 20,000 militants, without providing evidence.
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Shurafa reported from Deir Al-Balah, Gaza. Associated Press writers Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel, Samy Magdy in Cairo and Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin contributed to this report.
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Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
Bassem Mroue And Wafaa Shurafa, The Associated Press
