The Israeli Air Force struck southern Lebanon early Thursday morning, in a fourth round of retaliatory attacks following rocket fire toward the city of Kiryat Shmona.
The air strikes were the most severe since the Second Lebanon War in 2006, and followed some 100 artillery shells that were fired by the IDF in response to the rocket fire.
The strikes targeted the direct areas from where the rockets were fired, as well as other locations from where rockets had previously been fired. The IAF also struck additional infrastructure used for terrorism, according to a statement released by the military.
In response to the rockets fired from Lebanon toward Israel today, IDF artillery forces are currently striking targets along the Lebanese border.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) August 4, 2021
IIn the aftermath of the border violence, UN Item Force Lebanon’s Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Stefano Del Col chaired a Tripartite meeting with senior officers from the Lebanese Armed Forces and the IDF at a UN position in Ras Al Naqoura.
Del Col called on Lebanon and Israel “to act with urgency” to de-escalate tensions and prevent breaches of the cessation of hostilities, the UNIFIL office reported.
He urged the two countries to “use this tripartite forum” to “explore ways to reinforce security and stability along the Blue Line. In this period of regional volatility, more than ever, UNIFIL’s liaison and coordination role must be respected by all sides. In the most imperfect times, this mechanism has served you well, and now is the time to recommit to it, not allow the spoilers to have the better of us.”
This meeting comes in advance of the scheduled UNSC meeting at the end of August dealing with the annual renewal of UNIFIL’s mandate. Israel has pushed the UNSC to better empower UNIFIL to monitor violations, such as the Hezbollah construction of attack tunnels.
Last August, Israeli attack helicopters and fighter jets struck posts belonging to Hezbollah along the Lebanese border after IDF troops were fired upon near Kibbutz Menara in the Upper Galilee.
Hezbollah affiliated journalist Ali Shoeib said that one of the missiles dropped by the IAF landed 500 meters away from a Lebanese Army post.
Quoting the Lebanese Army, NNA said that the IDF fired 92 shells to the areas of Wadi Hamoul, Al-Sadana, Sahel Al-Mari, Rashaya Al-Fokhar outskirts, Sahel Al-Khiam, in addition to Blat Plain in south Lebanon.
“The army conducted patrols in the region, setting up a number of checkpoints, and initiated investigations to uncover the identities of the rocket launchers,” the statement continued. “The situation is being monitored in coordination with the United Nations Interim Force in South Lebanon.”
Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun called the strikes an escalation, and a violation of Security Council Resolution 1701.
“Israel’s use of its air force to target Lebanese villages is the first of its kind since 2006, and indicates the presence of aggressive, escalatory intentions that coincide with the continuous threats against Lebanon and its sovereignty, and what happened is a flagrant and serious violation of Security Council Resolution 1701, and a direct threat to security and stability in the south,” he said.
“UNIFIL patrols the Israeli-Lebanese border and is charged with monitoring adherence to the cease fire that ended the Second Lebanon War, which was codified under UNSC Resolution 1701.
The IDF said it identified three launches from Lebanon earlier on Wednesday. One failed and fell inside Lebanese territory, while two others hit open areas inside Israel, sparking two fires that destroyed hundreds of dunams.
Though the city of Kiryat Shmona said it had opened bomb shelters, the military said that there was no change in instructions, and that residents near the border could continue with their daily routines.
It is still unclear who fired the rockets, but it is believed to be the same Palestinian terrorists who have fired over a dozen rockets since May.
While Hezbollah has full control in south Lebanon, the Shi’ite terror group is not suspected of being the source of rocket fire but is believed to have given its tacit consent to the cell that fired rockets toward Israel.
Despite militant groups being behind the rocket fire, Israel holds Lebanon responsible, the IDF said in a statement released on it’s Arabic Twitter page.
حملات ارتش #اسرائیل، در برابر تلاش های تروریستی علیه اسرائیل و شهروندان آن، ادامه و حتی تشدید خواهند شد.دولت لبنان مسئول آنچه در قلمرو خود اتفاق می افتد است. ارتش اسرائیل اجازه ادامه تلاش برای آسیب رساندن به شهروندان اسرائیلی و حاکمیت اسرائیل را نخواهد داد.2/2
— ارتش دفاعی اسرائیل به فارسی (@IDFFarsi) August 5, 2021
“We will not allow rocket fire... no matter what and no matter the reason,” it said Wednesday. “The government of Lebanon bears full responsibility for any aggression emanating from its territory.”
The US State Department condemned the rocket fire at Israel, and said Washington would remain engaged with both Israel and Lebanon to “de-escalate” the situation along the border.
“We absolutely condemn the rocket attacks from armed groups, based in Lebanon, that were fired into Israel,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters.
Shira Silkoff contributed to this report.