Israel Strikes Lebanon After Rocket Strikes; Iran Angry
By Worthy News’ George Whitten and Stefan J. Bos
TEHRAN/BEIRUT/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Israel struck targets in Lebanon on Sunday after Tehran warned the Iran-backed Hezbollah group would join the battle against the Jewish nation.
Israel’s military said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) intercepted at least five of nine rockets fired from Lebanon, presumably by Hezbollah, into Israeli territory.
Lebanon-based Hezbollah said it targeted army barracks in the Israeli town of Hanita with guided missiles, causing causalities “in the enemy ranks.”
In response, “the IDF is currently striking the launch site in Lebanon,” the IDF said in remarks monitored by Worthy News, prompting northern Israel to be on high alert.
Separately, the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, said they fired twenty rockets from Lebanon at Israeli settlements in “occupied Palestine.” It was not immediately clear which settlements were hit, but it prompted retaliatory strikes by the Israeli Air Force, military sources said.
Sunday’s clashes came after Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian on Saturday called on Israel to stop its attacks on the Gaza Strip or face military consequences.
He warned that the war might expand to other parts of the Middle East if Hezbollah joins the battle, making Israel suffer “a huge earthquake.”
The minister told reporters in Beirut, the capital, that Lebanon’s Hezbollah has considered all the war scenarios and that Israel should stop its attacks on Gaza as soon as possible.
Israel considers Hezbollah its most serious immediate threat, estimating it has some 150,000 rockets and missiles. Among them are precision-guided missiles that can hit anywhere in Israel, according to experts.
The group, which has thousands of battle-hardened fighters who participated in Syria’s 12-year conflict, also has different types of military drones.
The standoff with Lebanon’s militants and Iran comes just over a week after the Palestinian group Hamas, viewed as a terrorist organization by most Western countries, killed more than 1,300 people in Israel.
That prompted Israel to start striking targets in Gaza, an overcrowded Palestinian enclave, prompting an angry reaction in the Middle East.
If you are interested in articles produced by Worthy News, please check out our FREE sydication service available to churches or online Christian ministries. To find out more, visit Worthy Plugins.