Israeli Artillery Strikes Lebanon

Israel’s military says it responded with artillery fire after a rocket was launched from southern Lebanon.

A statement said the rocket “exploded adjacent to the Blue Line in Israeli territory”, referring to the UN-demarcated frontier between the states.

Lebanon’s state news agency reported that more than 15 Israeli shells had hit the outskirts of the Lebanese villages of Kfar Shouba and Halta.

So far no militant groups have claimed responsibility for the rocket launch.

The United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon, Unifil, urged all sides to “exercise restraint and avoid any action that could cause further escalation” on the frontier, where tensions have increased in recent months.

Last month, Israel filed a complaint with the UN saying that Hezbollah had erected two tents a few metres over the frontier on Israeli land in the area.

Israeli media reported on Sunday that the group had dismantled one of the tents amid growing international pressure.

Today’s exchange of fire also comes a day after Israeli forces completed a major operation in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.