Israel launches rare airstrikes in Lebanon following violence at Jerusalem holy site

 The Israeli military did not provide information about its intended targets in Lebanon

The Israeli military launched rare airstrikes into Lebanon early Friday morning, just hours after it struck opposition targets in the Gaza Strip. 

Both series of attacks were in retaliation after Palestinian militants in Gaza fired rockets into southern Israel. Later, another volley of rockets was fired from Lebanon into Northern Israel.

The rocket fire further escalated from initial violence at a Jerusalem holy site this week.

The Israeli military did not provide information about its intended targets in Lebanon but said it targeted tunnels and weapon sites in the Gaza Strip.

ISRAEL LAUNCHES AIRSTRIKES ON HAMAS TUNNELS AND WEAPON SITES IN GAZA STRIP

Smoke and flames rise during Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, April 7, 2023.   (REUTERS/Ashraf Amra)

A Lebanese TV station reported explosions in the southern port city of Tyre. The town is located about 20 miles from Israel’s northern border.

During a briefing Friday morning, IDF International Spokesperson Lt. Col Richard Hecht said the airstrikes in Lebanon mostly landed in the Rashidieh area, and the village of Al-Kalila, the area where the rockets were launched from on Thursday.

No casualties were reported on the Lebanese side, he clarified.

Hecht also said Israel is hoping for a peaceful day as worshipers gather in Jerusalem.

"All eyes on Jerusalem [and we're] hoping for a quiet day of prayers," he said. "Nobody wants an escalation right now."

The spokesperson said that "quiet will be answered with quiet" and that "nothing has happened since the last hour."

Hecht also provided a synopsis of the rocket fire from Gaza, specifying 44 rockets had been fired into Southern Israel from Gaza.

One of the rockets struck a house in Sderot while a woman and her daughter were inside. They were not injured, he said.

Eight of the rockets were intercepted by the IDF's missile defense system, while 14 fell in an open area, 12 fell into the sea, and nine fell in the Gaza Strip.

He said the Israeli Air Force retaliated with further attacks on Hamas targets and infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, including a shaft for an underground site to construct arms, three other weapon workshops, and a terror tunnel route.

Smoke and flames rise during Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, April 7, 2023. (REUTERS/Ashraf Amra )

Smoke and flames rise during Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, April 6, 2023.  (REUTERS/Bashar Talib )

The Israeli military did not provide any further details.

The current round of violence began Wednesday during an incident at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City, where hundreds of worshipers gathered.

Israel’s police said agitators used rocks and fireworks, causing a disturbance at the site. They also barricaded themselves in the structure, police said.

Fire and smoke rise following an Israeli airstrike in central Gaza Strip, Friday, April 7, 2023.  (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

An Israeli airstrike in central Gaza Strip on Friday, April 7, 2023, caused fire and smoke to rise.  (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

The Israeli military has struck targets in the southern Gaza Strip, Friday, April 7, 2023.  (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

ISRAELI FIGHTER JETS STRIKE HAMAS WEAPONS FACILITY AFTER VIOLENCE, 350 ARRESTED AT JERUSALEM HOLY SITE

The Israeli officers raided the mosque and arrested more than 350 people. 

Some Palestinians disputed the events and said the police raid caused the current violence.

The Wednesday raid led to rocket fire from Gaza on Thursday. And, in a significant escalation, a barrage of nearly three dozen rockets was fired from Lebanon into northern Israel.

The fighting comes amid a backdrop of religious sensitivity for both Muslims and Jewish people as celebrations for the Passover holiday and the Ramadan holy month are underway. The exchange of blows also comes as a similar escalation in 2021 spilled over into an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas, a terrorist group that governs Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his Security Cabinet Thursday as the Israeli military struck four sites in Gaza belonging to Hamas.

ISRAEL’S NETANYAHU AGREES TO HALT JUDICIAL REFORM FOR NOW AS MASS PROTESTS CONTINUE

After the hours-long meeting, Netanyahu’s office released a statement suggesting attacks would be made.

"Israel’s response, tonight and beyond, will extract a heavy price from our enemies," Netanyahu said. He did not elaborate.

Smoke rises from a fire after rockets fired from Lebanon struck Bezet, northern Israel, Thursday, April 6, 2023.  (AP Photo/Fadi Amun)

Smoke rises from a fire after rockets fired from Lebanon struck Bezet, northern Israel, Thursday, April 6, 2023.  (AP Photo/Fadi Amun)

"The (Israeli Defense Forces) will not allow the Hamas terrorist organization to operate from within Lebanon and holds the state of Lebanon responsible for every directed fire emanating from its territory," the Israeli military said in a statement, Reuters reported.

The most recent airstrikes came after militants in Lebanon fired some 34 rockets into Israel, forcing air sirens across Israel’s northern frontier as people sought safety in bomb shelters. The attacks wounded at least two people.