Bennett: Israel will not accept rocket attacks from Lebanon

Lebanon must rule over terrorists who fired rockets at Israel, whoever they are, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned at the start of Sunday’s cabinet meeting.

“The State of Lebanon and the Lebanese military must take responsibility for what is happening in their backyard … it is less important to us whether this is a Palestinian group of independent rebels,” Bennett said.

The prime minister warned: “Israel will not accept shooting in its territory.”

The IDF fired 40 artillery shells into open areas in southern Lebanon.

Bennett referred to the economic and political crisis in Lebanon, which he said Iran and Hezbollah were trying to complicate Israel, and praised the “very significant awakening” of Lebanese citizens against Hezbollah and Iranian influence in their country.

On Saturday, marking the 15th anniversary of the second Lebanon war, Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah called the exchange of fire with Israel a “very dangerous development” and the biggest increase since the war ended. He said the terrorist group he leads was not meant to create new rules of engagement. Nasrallah claimed that Israel was afraid of further attacks in Lebanon.

EU spokesman for foreign affairs Nabila Masrali on Saturday condemned “the firing of rockets from southern Lebanon towards northern Israel and the capture of the Golan Heights” and said the EU was following developments, including Israel’s response. .

“It is important for all parties to exercise utmost restraint and work towards a quick resolution of the current tensions,” Masrali said.

The US State Department condemned the Hezbollah rocket attack on the day it occurred and “calls”[ed] To immediately stop such attacks on the Lebanese government and bring the region under its control.”

Asked at a press briefing to comment on the Israeli airstrike, State Department Press Secretary Ned Price said: “We have made the point that Israel has a right to defend itself.”

The US and Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, wrote a letter to the UN Security Council and the Secretary-General, condemning the attacks by Hezbollah as a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which was referred to as the Second Lebanon War. was finally passed.

Erdan wrote, “Due to the recent attacks and escalating tensions in the region, Iran’s activities and its proxies, especially Hezbollah’s weapons, once again actively implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701 (2006) demonstrates an urgent need to do so.” “While Israel is not interested in escalation, we will not allow attacks on Israeli civilians to go unanswered. If these attacks continue, Israel will have no choice but to respond and destroy Hezbollah’s terrorist infrastructure that Israel has.” The security of and the lives of its citizens is at risk.”

“It doesn’t matter if they are rebels, or people who are bored, or have any other excuse. The onus is on Hamas,” he said.

The IDF spokesman’s unit announced that Israeli fighter jets attacked Hamas targets on Saturday in response to the launch of incendiary balloons a day earlier.

The IDF said it attacked a Hamas military camp and a rocket-launching position in the northern Gazan refugee camp in Jabalya, adding that it would “continue to respond with attacks of terrorist attempts from Gaza.”

At least four fires broke out in the Eshkol Regional Council on Friday after incendiary balloons were released from a blocked coastal enclave. Three of the fires were in the Kissufim forest, while the others broke out near the community of Be’eri, said the Keran Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF).

Tzavi Joffrey and Anna Ahronheim contributed to this report.