A fresh salvo of rockets was fired from south Lebanon towards Israel on Tuesday, Lebanese state media said, an attack that drew retaliatory fire, according to a military source.
The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Palestinian militant group Hamas, claimed the rocket fire, a statement said later on Tuesday.
The group carried out a “rocket bombardment” on Israel’s western Galilee area, according to the statement published on the Hamas channel on the Telegram messaging app, adding the group was “fulfilling its duty.”
It is the third day the border area has seen an exchange of fire, and comes after Hamas launched an unprecedented multi-pronged attack on Israel’s southern flank from the blockaded Gaza Strip on the weekend.
The military source said the rockets were fired from the town of Qlaileh, located in the south Lebanon district of Tyre.
There were no immediate reports of casualties on the Lebanese side, according to NNA.
“In response to the launches identified from Lebanese territory toward Israeli territory, IDF (army) soldiers are currently responding with artillery fire,” Israeli forces said.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which acts as a buffer between Lebanon and Israel, said it was in contact with both sides “to de-escalate this very dangerous situation.” ALARABIYA/AP
