Caution prevailed on both sides of the border between southern Lebanon and Israel on Friday after Israeli airstrikes at dawn, which caused material damage but no reported casualties.
Lebanon announced that it has decided to file a complaint with the UN Security Council, protesting Israel’s “flagrant violation of its sovereignty,” and claiming that Israel had contravened Resolution 1701 and threatened the stability of southern Lebanon.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said on Friday that the Israel Defense Forces had informed it that Israeli forces would begin an artillery response to Thursday’s rocket launches from Lebanon. Immediately after, UNIFIL said its personnel heard loud explosions around the city of Tyre.
UNIFIL said its Head of Mission and Commander Maj. Gen. Aroldo Lazaro, was speaking with the authorities on both sides of the Blue Line — the demarcation line between Lebanon and Israel and Lebanon and the Golan Heights.
Meanwhile, Israeli warplanes bombed several military sites belonging to Hamas and Islamic Jihad in different areas in the Gaza Strip, from midnight until the early hours of Friday morning. The Israeli bombardment also targeted agricultural and open areas, in addition to watchtowers on the eastern border.
Israel has claimed that the bombing was in response to missiles fired from the Gaza Strip toward Israeli towns in recent days.
During the bombardment, Palestinian factions fired shells toward Israeli towns, most of which were intercepted by the air defense system Iron Dome.
The Israeli media, quoting security sources, said that about 44 rockets were fired from Gaza during the night.
The Israeli bombardment of Palestinian sites did not cause any injuries, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, but resulted in material damage to homes and properties, as well as the Al-Durra Children’s Hospital, east of Gaza City.
In a press statement, the ministry said that the bombing “caused a state of confusion and fear among the medical staff, pediatric patients, and their companions.”
Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said that Israeli planes dropped 50 tons of bombs in their bombing of the Gaza Strip during the night.
Abeer Ishteiwi, 50, told Arab News: “We lived through a night of terror and fear. The sound of bombing and warplanes was frightening. When the place near Al-Durra Hospital was bombed, I felt that the house moved from its place.”
She added: “Thank God we did not suffer any damage, but my little boy was close to me all the time. I felt him trembling with the sounds of planes in the sky, and when the bombing happened, he started screaming and crying, and he barely went back to sleep in the morning.”—AN
