JERUSALEM, Israel – The Israel Defense Forces on Monday said it struck targets in Lebanon after a rocket was fired into Israel overnight.
“In response to the projectile launched from Lebanon into northern Israel earlier tonight, IDF Artillery forces are currently targeting the source of the launch in Lebanon,” Israel’s military announced early Monday morning.
The rocket from Lebanon landed in an open area in northern Israel and did not cause any damage or injuries.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the lone rocket or reports of casualties from Israel’s retaliatory strikes.
The rocket fire came amid increased tensions in Jerusalem and frequent clashes between Muslim rioters and Israeli police at Al Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount. The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism and the third holiest site in Islam.
Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups point to clashes between Muslims and Israeli police at the tense holy site as justification for attacking Israel. Last week, terrorists in Gaza fired several rockets at Israel in response to violence on the Temple Mount.
Palestinian factions in Lebanon have also fired rockets at Israel, including in May, July and August of last year.
However, Israel views Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed terror group, as the most serious threat in Lebanon. Hezbollah fought a war with Israel in 2006 and has launched mortars and drones into northern Israel.
Hezbollah boasts of having thousands of precision-guided missiles that can hit anywhere in the Jewish State. Last week, a senior Hezbollah official said the group only needs $9 billion to obliterate Israel.
Hezbollah is currently fighting on the side of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces in that country’s civil war. Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria over the years, many of them targeting Hezbollah and other Iranian proxies.
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