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Hezbollah fires rockets into Israel from Lebanon
Hezbollah has launched an attack on Israeli military positions and drawn heavy return fire in the first cross-border clash for years between the longstanding foes.Israel’s military said “two or three anti-tank missiles” had been fired from southern Lebanon toward an army base and a military ambulance but had caused no deaths or injuries..Lt Col Jonathan Conricus, an army spokesman, also said Israel had fired back with approximately 100 artillery shells and that attack helicopters had also struck the area. The exchange “was most likely over”, he said.Hezbollah, the pro-Iran Lebanese militant group, claimed the attack. It said its fighters had destroyed an Israeli army vehicle near the frontier in the same area. It said it had killed and wounded people inside, contradicting Israeli claims.It was not immediately clear if there had been casualties on the Lebanese side.
The Lebanese Shia Muslim militant group Hezbollah has fired several anti-tank rockets into northern Israel in retaliation for a reported Israeli drone attack in Beirut last week.Israeli military sources confirmed rockets had been fired at an Israeli army base and military vehicles.The Israeli army responded by attacking targets in southern Lebanon.Hezbollah sources reported several Israeli casualties, but Israel said no-one had been injured on its side.The Lebanese military earlier said an Israeli drone had entered its airspace and dropped incendiary material on a forest along the border.The Israeli army has acknowledged it started a fire. Tensions on the frontier escalated in recent days.Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, has threatened to carry out an attack against Israel.It accuses Israel of trying to carry out a drone attack in Lebanon's capital Beirut last week.According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), "Hezbollah fired two to three anti-tank missiles from Lebanon, hitting an IDF military outpost and ambulance in northern Israel.""We fired at the Hezbollah squad responsible. No Israelis were injured in the attack," the IDF said in a tweet.Israel said it had responded with artillery and helicopter fire, sending about 100 shells across the border at Hezbollah positions.Radio reports from northern Israel say residents in some border communities have been sheltering in bunkers after suffering sustained rocket attacks.Meanwhile, Hezbollah is quoted by local media as saying the movement destroyed an Israeli tank, killing and injuring those on board.However, it provided no evidence, and its claims were rejected by Israel."At this moment I can make an important announcement: we have no casualties, no-one injured or even scratched," said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Military action by Hezbollah had been anticipated, even expected, after a reported attack by Israeli drones on a target in Lebanon's capital Beirut a week ago, reports the BBC's Wyre Davies in Jerusalem.Israel has not confirmed carrying out that attack - but it had warned Hezbollah it would not allow it to develop precision guided missiles in Lebanon with support and parts from Iran.On Saturday night, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned Israel that an attack was inevitable.Speaking in Jerusalem, Mr Netanyahu said Israel was prepared for any scenario.The Hezbollah attack and Israel's response represent the most serious border incident between the two parties in recent years.In 2006, Israel and Hezbollah fought a month-long conflict that killed more than 1,000 civilians, most of them Lebanese.
Television channels in Israel said the army had ordered residents near the border to remain inside and for bomb shelters to be opened.Israeli forces along the frontier have been bracing all week for a possible attack by Hezbollah. The organisation’s leadership accused Israel of attempting to attack it with two drones last Sunday in its stronghold of southern Beirut.Hezbollah’s deputy leader had said his forces would launch a surprise retaliatory strike against Israel. “I rule out that the atmosphere is one of war – it is one of a response to an attack,” Sheikh Naim Qassem said in a TV interview on Tuesday night. “Everything will be decided at its time.”Israel has not claimed the Beirut strikes, but two western diplomats said the rare operation may have been an assassination attempt or an effort to destroy equipment for fitting advanced guidance systems to rudimentary rockets.Israel also said last week it had intelligence that Iran was helping Hezbollah to build guided missiles in Lebanon, something it said it would not tolerate. Guided missiles rather than the imprecise rockets it has used in the past would allow Hezbollah to target vital Israeli infrastructure in any future conflict.
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