Israel Strikes Lebanon in Response to Rocket Attack

Israeli officials said they believed that a faction of Palestinian militants based in Lebanon launched the rocket, but couldn’t be certain. Israel says a number of Palestinian militant groups operate in southern Lebanon, where the powerful Lebanese militant and political group Hezbollah has tight control.

Ran Kochav, an Israeli military spokesman, said the rocket fire from Lebanon was likely related to flare up in conflict across Israel and the Palestinian territories.

In recent weeks, Israeli police and Palestinians have clashed in Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site, the compound around Al Aqsa Mosque, which Muslims call the Noble Sanctuary and Jews the Temple Mount.

In addition, Palestinian and Arab Israelis have carried out a string of terror attacks inside Israel, there were deadly clashes in the West Bank and Gaza-based militants fired rockets at Israel on three occasions.

Gaza’s ruling faction, Hamas, and other militant groups in the Gaza striphave been threatening to attack Israel over near-daily clashes last week between Israeli police and Palestinians at Al Aqsa Mosque compound. No group has claimed responsibility for the recent rocket fire from Gaza into Israel.

There hasn’t been this much violence between Israelis and Palestinians since Hamas and Israel fought an 11-day deadly conflict in May that was also sparked by tensions in Jerusalem.

During that conflict, Palestinian militants fired four rockets at northern Israel, according to Israel’s military.

Mr. Kochav said Israel’s artillery fire into southern Lebanon was a message to those Palestinian groups and Hezbollah that “we won’t allow Israeli sovereignty to be violated.”

Israel and Hezbollah last fought a war in 2006 after two Israeli soldiers were captured in a cross-border raid. Israel launched a massive assault on Lebanon in response, which saw Hezbollah fire thousands of rockets at northern Israel. The 34-day war resulted in the deaths of 165 Israeli soldiers and civilians and at least 1,100 people were killed in Lebanon, mostly civilians but also Hezbollah fighters.