Israel-Lebanon tensions rise after rockets fired

A fragile ceasefire between Israel and Lebanese militia Hezbollah is in jeopardy after the Israeli military said it intercepted three rockets fired from Lebanon.

As Israel responded with strikes on southern Lebanon, the Lebanese prime minister warned against being dragged into a "new war."

Here is a roundup of the latest news on Israel, Lebanon, Gaza and wider tensions in the Middle Easton Saturday, 22.03.2025 

03/22/2025March 22, 2025

UN peacekeepers 'alarmed'

The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) issued a statement after the Israeli military struck targets in Lebanon following a rocket salvo fired into northern Israel.

"UNIFIL remains alarmed by the possible escalation of violence" after projectiles were launched from Lebanon into Israel triggering "immediate retaliation by the IDF."

The Israeli military said in a statement Saturday afternoon that it struck "dozens of Hezbollah rocket launchers and a command center from which Hezbollah terrorists were operating in southern Lebanon."

Lebanese media reported one person was killed and three injured in an Israeli airstrike on a village in south Lebanon.

03/22/2025March 22, 2025

Netanyahu orders strikes on dozens of 'terror targets' in Lebanon

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Saturday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military "to act forcefully against dozens of terror targets in Lebanon" in response to rocket fire towards Israel from Lebanon. 

Earlier Saturday, the IDF said it intercepted rockets targeting the northern Israeli border town of Metula.

Israel said it was still determining who launched the rocket fire, but defense officials said they hold the Lebanese government responsible for preventing hostile fire from its territory. There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah.

Israeli media reported the army used artillery fire to target the site from which the rockets were launched.

Lebanese security sources told Germany's DPA news agency that Israeli artillery fire targeted the village of Yohmor and the hills of al-Hamames, across the border from Metula.

In Lebanon, Israeli fighter jets were reported flying over southern regions of the country.

03/22/2025March 22, 2025

Israeli strikes reported in southern Lebanon

Israeli army chief Eyal Zamir said Saturday that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would "respond severely to the morning's attack," after it reported three rockets fired Lebanon were intercepted in northern Israel.

The Israeli military said it was still investigating who could have fired the rockets.

Lebanon's official news agency reported Israeli air and artillery strikes in areas of southern Lebanon on Saturday. No casualties were reported.

Before a November ceasefire, Israel pummeled targets in Beirut, while deploying ground troops in southern Lebanon during a two-month offensive against Lebanese militia Hezbollah.

The Iran-backed militant group began attacking Israel with rockets and artillery a day after the Hamas terror attacks on October 7, 2023.

Since then, thousands of residents in northern Israeli towns have been displaced. The Lebanese Health Ministry in November 2024 estimated more than 3,000 people in Lebanon had been killed in the 13-months of conflict.

03/22/2025March 22, 2025

Lebanese PM warns of 'new war'

Salam said on Saturday the Lebanese state 'alone has the power to decide war and peace'Image: Emilie Madi/REUTERS

Lebanon's prime minister, Nawaf Salam, on Saturday warned that renewed Israeli military operations in southern Lebanon risks "dragging the country into a new war, which will bring woes to Lebanon and the Lebanese people," he said in a statement.

Salam's statement came as Israel promised a "severe response" to rockets fired into Israel from Lebanon earlier in the day. Lebanese media reported Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon shortly after.

On Saturday morning, Israeli's army said it intercepted three rockets from Lebanon. Air raid sirens were heard in the Israeli border town of Metula, and the army said it was the first time sirens were sounded in response to rocket fire from Lebanon since November 2024.

The exchange of cross-border fire on Saturday was the first such incident on the Israel-Lebanon border since Israel resumed military operations targeting Hamas in Gaza, effectively abandoning a ceasefire there. 

03/22/2025March 22, 2025

Israel says it intercepts rockets fired from Lebanon

An Israeli flag over the town of Metula in northern Israel seen in 2024Image: Stoyan Nenov/REUTERS

The Israeli military said it intercepted three rockets fired into northern Israel from a location in Lebanon early Saturday, in the first such attack since a cease-fire with Lebanese militant group Hezbollah took hold in November.

Israel did not immediately specify who fired the rockets. However, Defense Minister Israel Katz said that the Lebanese government bears responsibility for upholding the ceasefire. 

"We will not allow rocket fire from Lebanon on the Galilee communities. We promised security to the communities of the Galilee — and that is exactly how it will be. The rule for Metula is the rule for Beirut," Katz said in a statement, referring to the town in northern Israel near where the rockets were intercepted. 

The US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah stipulates that the Lebanese government is responsible for removing military infrastructure and weaponry from southern Lebanon.

This includes stationing troops in the region and ensuring Hezbollah does not posses weapons. In return, Israeli troops were to withdraw from the region. However, both sides have accused the other of failing to fully adhere to the ceasefire.

03/22/2025March 22, 2025

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