The Israeli air force said it carried out airstrikes on neighbouring Lebanon for the first time in seven years Thursday, following a second day of rocket fire across the border.
Lebanon condemned the strikes as an “escalation” that could mark a change of tactics by Israel, while UN peacekeepers urged restraint. “Earlier today (Thursday), rockets were fired from Lebanon into Israeli territory,” the Israeli air force tweeted.
“In response… fighter jets struck the launch sites and infrastructure used for terror in Lebanon from which the rockets were launched.” The air force said “an additional target in the area from which rockets have been launched in the past was struck as well”.
Israeli jets routinely strike Palestinian militant targets in the Gaza Strip, and suspected Hezbollah or Iranian targets in Syria. But it was the first time since 2014 that they had hit targets in Lebanon, the air force said.
“We condemn the rocket attacks from armed groups based in Lebanon into…