Israeli air strikes on Lebanon territory: 'hit Palestinian terrorists,' claims IDF

Raising fears of an escalation in west Asia, Israel staged air strikes in Lebanon on 7 April 2023, while continuing to bomb targets in the Gaza strip.

Israel claimed that the targets it struck in southern Lebanon belonged to Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. Israel's offensive came hours after it claimed that 34 rockets had been fired at it by Palestinian terrorists from Lebanon.

Israel Defence Forces said that they will not allow Hamas to operate from within Lebanon, and holds Beirut responsible for fire emanating from its territory.

The cross-border fighting erupted during a time of heightened religious fervour — when Jews are celebrating the Passover holiday and Muslims are marking the Ramazan holy month. In 2021, an escalation also triggered by clashes at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, spilled over into an 11-day war between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers.

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Israeli strikes in Lebanon risk drawing Lebanon's Hezbollah militia into the fighting. The Iran-backed group, armed with thousands of rockets and missiles, holds sway over much of southern Lebanon and is viewed by Israel as a bitter foe.

(With agency inputs)