
Israel strikes Lebanon in response to cross-border rocket fire
The Hindu
Israeli artillery and airstrikes hit south Lebanon after rocket salvo into northern Israel, endangering a shaky truce with Hezbollah.
Israeli artillery and airstrikes hit south Lebanon on Saturday (March 22, 2025) after Israel said it had intercepted rockets fired from across the border, a clash endangering a shaky truce that ended a year-long war between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.
That conflict marked the deadliest spillover of the Gaza war, rumbling across the border for months before escalating into a blistering Israeli offensive that wiped out Hezbollah's top commanders, many of its fighters and much of its arsenal.
Saturday's exchange was the first since Israel effectively abandoned a separate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip with Palestinian militant group Hamas, an ally of Hezbollah, both backed by Israel's arch-foe Iran.
The Israeli military said earlier it had intercepted three rockets launched from a Lebanese district about 6 km (4 miles) north of the border, the second cross-border launch since a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in November ended the fighting.
Israel's Army Radio said the military was returning artillery fire. Lebanon's state news agency said Israeli artillery hit two towns in southern Lebanon with airstrikes on three other towns closer to the border.
There were no reports of casualties from either side.
Signalling it could further escalate its response, the Israeli military said it would "respond severely to the morning's attack."













