Israel struck targets belonging to the Palestinian militant group Hamas in southern Lebanon and launched a series of retaliatory airstrikes in Gaza early Friday, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Ednews informs via CNN that the Al-Manar news outlet, backed by Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, reported that three Israeli strikes had hit an open area in the Tyre region, and that the Israeli jets appear to have left Lebanese airspace.
The launches came hours after dozens of rockets were fired from Lebanon into Israeli territory, a barrage the Israeli military blamed on Palestinian militants.
“The IDF 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 IDF said in a statement.
Hamas responded in a statement Friday, condemning the strikes and expressing “solidarity with the Lebanese people.” In a separate statement, it also condemned Israel’s strikes on the Gaza Strip.
Earlier, a CNN journalist in Gaza City heard the sounds of planes and explosions, minutes after the IDF announced it was targeting Gaza. The Israeli strikes hit multiple areas, and several rockets were fired from Gaza toward Israel in response.
