Israeli army claims to have intercepted 3 rockets fired from Lebanon

ANKARA

The Israeli army claimed on Saturday that it had intercepted three rockets launched from Lebanon toward the Metula area in northern Israel.

In a statement, the army said: “Following the alerts that were activated at 7.32-7.34 am (0532-0534GMT) in Metula, three launches were detected that crossed Lebanese territory.”

The Israeli army claimed to have intercepted the launches. No further details were provided regarding the incident.

Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, in a statement reported by the daily Israel Hayom, warned that Tel Aviv “would not tolerate attacks from Lebanon on northern Israeli towns.”

He vowed to “ensure the security of Galilee settlements” and hinted at potential military action.

“If Metula is targeted, Beirut will be as well,” Katz stated, placing responsibility on the Lebanese government for any attacks launched from its territory.

He also confirmed that he had instructed the Israeli military to “respond accordingly,” without providing further details.

According to Israeli media, including Maariv, the intercepted rockets were part of a larger barrage. The reports claim that six rockets were launched from Lebanon, three of which landed within Lebanese territory.

“Hezbollah surprised Israel this morning with a sudden attack, launching six rockets at Metula within two minutes,” Maariv reported, adding that the response to this escalation could determine the course of events in northern Israel.

The newspaper speculated whether Israel would limit its response to targeted strikes or expand to broader attacks on Beirut's infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Israeli Channel 12 reported that the Israeli army carried out artillery strikes on the launch sites in Lebanon.

The mayor of Metula, David Azulai, criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, telling Israeli Army Radio that the rocket attack was a “reminder” that security concerns remain unresolved for displaced residents.

He noted that only 10% of Metula’s population had returned after evacuations prompted by the war with the Palestinian group Hamas and the Lebanese group Hezbollah in recent months.

The daily Haaretz reported that this marks the first such attack in three months.

The incident comes amid heightened tensions as Israel carried out a surprise aerial campaign on Gaza on Tuesday, shattering a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement with the Palestinian group that took hold in January.

A fragile ceasefire has also been in place in Lebanon since November, ending months of cross-border warfare between Israel and the Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah, that escalated into a full-scale conflict in September.

Lebanese authorities reported nearly 1,100 Israeli violations of the ceasefire, including the deaths of at least 85 victims and injuries to more than 280.

Under the ceasefire deal, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by Jan. 26, but the deadline was extended to Feb. 18 after Israel refused to comply. It still maintains a military presence at five border outposts.