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Five rockets were fired from Lebanon at the northern Israeli settlement of Metula on March 22, in the first such attack since December.
Sirens had sounded in Metula amid the rocket attack. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced that at least three of the rockets were intercepted by air defenses. The other two rockets apparently fell short in Lebanon. There are no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
In an initial response, the IDF shelled the southern Lebanese towns of Yahmar Al-Shaqif, Al-Khayam, Houla and Markaba.
The rocket attack was not claimed by Hezbollah. Meanwhile, the IDF held the Lebanese government responsible for what it described as a “violation” of the ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States last November. It also vowed to respond to the attack “severely.”
Later, Today, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that he instructed the IDF to respond to the rocket attack.
“We will not allow the reality of fire from Lebanon on the Galilee communities. We have promised security to the Galilee communities, and that is exactly what will happen,” Katz said.
In an apparent threat to the Lebanese capital, the minister warned that “the fate of Metula is the same as Beirut.”
“The Lebanese government bears responsibility for any fire from its territory. I have instructed the IDF to respond accordingly,” he added.
Meanwhile, Metula Mayor David Azoulai accused the Israeli government and the IDF Northern Command of trying “to normalize” a situation of occasional rocket fire from Lebanon
“We won’t allow them to normalize this. I call on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and of course IDF Northern Command head Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin to act offensively and make it so that not one bullet is fired ever again at northern communities,” the mayor told the Ynet news site.
“This is a failure, this is exactly the policy of containment of October 7. Instead of dealing with nonsense, start providing security to the country’s residents,” he added.
The U.S.-brokered ceasefire was supposed to end all clashes on the Israeli-Lebanese border by February 18. However, the IDF continues to launch strikes against Hezbollah. It also maintains five strategic posts in southern Lebanon. The group, which appears to be exercising strategic patience, has so far refrained from responding.
Although there is no evidence yet suggesting that Hezbollah was behind the rocket attack on Metula, Israel could use the incident as a pretext to escalate against Lebanon.
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