JERUSALEM-Israel launched air strikes before dawn on Friday in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, saying it was targeting Hamas in retaliation for several dozen rockets fired at Israel from both territories. The strikes were launched around 4:30 am Israeli time (0130 GMT), hitting both the Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon, according to an Israeli army statement.
Explosions were heard by AFP in Lebanon’s Tyre region as well as the Gaza Strip, where Israeli air raids had begun before midnight.
Tensions have soared between Israel and Palestinians during what is both the Jewish Passover and the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, prompting condemnations and calls for restraint from abroad.
The latest flare-up of violence comes after Israeli police clashed Wednesday with Palestinians inside Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque. On Thursday, Israel’s army said 34 rockets had been fired from Lebanese territory into Israel in the largest escalation along the frontier since Israel and Hezbollah fought a 34-day war in 2006. Army spokesman Lt. Colonel Richard Hecht blamed Palestinian groups for the attack.
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Two women killed in West Bank shooting: Israel army
Two Israeli women were killed and another seriously wounded Friday in a shooting attack on a vehicle in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli army and medics said.
The army said the assailants struck at Hamra junction, in the northern part of the Jordan valley. It did not immediately give details on the identity of the dead women.
The Magen David Adom emergency service said it had confirmed the “death of two women in their 20s and provided medical treatment to a 40-year-old woman in a serious condition”. The army said it had blocked roads around the scene of the shooting and launched a manhunt for the assailants.
The attack came hours after Israel bombarded both Gaza and Lebanon in response to Palestinian rocket fire from the two territories. It was the biggest salvo fired from Lebanon since Israel fought a 34-day war with Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in 2006 and the first time Israel has confirmed an attack on Lebanese territory since April 2022.
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UK urges ‘all parties’ to
de-escalate Mideast violence
British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on Friday appealed on “all parties” to de-escalate after Israel bombarded the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. “Now is the time for all parties across the region to de-escalate tensions,” he said.
The UK’s top diplomat also criticised Israeli police for “violence” inside Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque after officers clashed Wednesday with Palestinians inside Islam’s third-holiest site.
“When Israeli security forces conduct operations, they must ensure they are proportionate and in accordance with international law,” Cleverly said.