Military says rocket landed in open area near Kibbutz Matsuba, close to border, without causing damage or injuries; no warning sirens sounded and army says alert levels ‘normal’

Illustrative: The Israeli military fires flares into the sky over the Lebanese border on August 25, 2020. (Courtesy)
Illustrative: The Israeli military fires flares into the sky over the Lebanese border on August 25, 2020. (Courtesy)

 

The Israel Defense Forces said early Monday that its forces were attacking targets in Lebanon after a rocket was fired into Israel earlier in the night.

“IDF artillery is now attacking targets in Lebanon and firing at the launch area in retaliation for the rocket fired into Israeli territory,” the IDF said in a statement.

Earlier, a rocket was fired into Israel from Lebanon landing in an open area near Kibbutz Matsuba, close to the border, without causing damage or injuries.

Hezbollah-linked media in Lebanon also reported that a rocket had been fired toward Israel.

No rocket warning sirens sounded in Israel as the rocket landed in an open area, and the military said that alert levels in the area remain “normal.”

There have been several instances of rocket fire from Lebanon into Israel in recent years with most blamed on Palestinian factions in the country, not the Hezbollah terror group.

However, it is unlikely that terrorists in southern Lebanon would be able to fire rockets without at least the tacit approval of the Iran-backed militia, which maintains a tight degree of control over southern Lebanon.

The incident comes amid rising tension over clashes at Al-Aqsa mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and renewed rocket fire from Gaza toward Israel.

Hamas and other Gaza-based terror groups have repeatedly invoked the flashpoint holy site as a red line. Police actions to quell riots there last year were among the triggers of an 11-day war in Gaza last May.

As reported by The Times of Israel