Israel reports rocket fire from Lebanon as tension with Hezbollah spikes

JERUSALEM

Israel reported fresh rocket fire by Hezbollah on Sunday as tension continues to rise along the border with Lebanon.

Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth said 20 rockets were launched from southern Lebanon toward Upper Galilee in northern Israel.

Some of the rockets were intercepted by air defenses, while the rest landed in open areas, the newspaper said.

No injuries or damage were reported.

Separately, the Israeli army said a drone targeted a Hezbollah “cell” in the occupied Shebaa Farms in southern Lebanon.

The military also reported airstrikes on what it called Hezbollah weapons storage facilities and military buildings in the towns of Aita al-Shaab, Matmoura, and al-Tayri.

There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah on the Israeli claim.

Fears have grown of a full-fledged war between Israel and Hezbollah amid an exchange of cross-border attacks, especially after the July 30 assassination of senior Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukr in Beirut.

The escalation comes against the backdrop of a deadly Israeli onslaught on Gaza, which has killed nearly 40,100 people since last October following an attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi in Ankara