JERUSALEM — In the first serious breach of the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon since December, six rockets were fired from Lebanon towards Metula on Saturday morning.  The Israel Defense Forces later responded with a wave of airstrikes on dozens of Hezbollah rocket launchers and a command center used by the terror group in south Lebanon.

The IDF said that air defense systems had intercepted three rockets that crossed the border, while the other three rockets apparently fell short in Lebanon. There were no reports of injuries or damage in the rocket attack.

Metula Mayor David Azoulai said that some of the eight percent of the town’s residents who have returned since the November ceasefire left after the attack. “The return of residents to Metula under the current conditions is unreasonable. Metula residents won’t be held hostage to a security compromise,” he said.

A number of hours later, the Hezbollah terror group denied being responsible for the rocket fire on northern Israel.

In a statement, Hezbollah said it “reiterates its commitment to the ceasefire agreement and stands behind the Lebanese state in addressing this dangerous Zionist escalation against Lebanon.”

The IDF initially responded to the attack with artillery fire against targets in south Lebanon.

The official National News Agency in Lebanon said Israeli planes were seen over eastern areas of southern Lebanon and that ground troops fired at the Hamames hills.

It also reported Israeli artillery fire on the Nabatieh district in the south and the town of Khiam, which was hit by “three shells [fired by] Merkava tanks.”

Troops also fired automatic weapons at the border villages of Hula, Markaba and Kfar Kila, the news agency said.

The IDF later launched a wave of airstrikes on dozens of Hezbollah rocket launchers and a command center used by the terror group in Lebanon. It was unclear why Israel knew the location of the rocket launchers but had not previously targeted them.

The IDF described the rocket attack as “ a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon and a direct threat to Israeli citizens,” adding that “the State of Lebanon bears responsibility for upholding the agreement.”

The IDF said that Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir held a situation assessment and that Home Front Command directives were unchanged.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said he instructed the IDF to respond to the rocket attack and also issued an apparent threat to strike Beirut.

“We will not allow a reality of fire from Lebanon on the Galilee communities. We have promised security to the Galilee communities, and that is exactly what will happen,” he said in a statement.

Katz said that “the fate of Metula is the same as Beirut,” in an apparent threat to the Lebanese capital.

“The Lebanese government bears responsibility for any fire from its territory. I have instructed the IDF to respond accordingly,” he added.

A number of hours after the attack, Lebanese army claimed it had located three makeshift rocket launchers between the south Lebanon towns of Kfar Tebnit and Arnoun, which were used to fire the rockets at Metula.

In a statement, the Lebanese Armed Forces said it dismantled the launchers.

“Military units continue to take the necessary measures to control the situation in the south,” the LAF added.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam warned his country was at risk of being drawn into a “new war.”

“All security and military measures must be taken to show that Lebanon decides on matters of war and peace,” Salam said.

Meanwhile, the heads of northern communities reacted furiously to the fire from Lebanon, accusing the IDF of trying to “normalize” rocket fire from north of the border.

Kiryat Shmona mayor Avichai Stern issued a statement, asking the military’s Northern Command chief if he still believed it was safe for people to return to their homes near the border.

“I have just one question for the head of the IDF’s Northern Command, Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin, who said that nothing is preventing a return to the north [by civilians]. Do you still think that?” Stern said in a statement cited by Hebrew media outlets.

As reported by VINnews