Israel Strikes Gaza and South Lebanon Following Rocket Fire

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Facts

  • Israel's military launched strikes against targets in Lebanon and Gaza early on Friday following a barrage of rockets that were fired from south Lebanon as tensions at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque continue to worsen following Israeli police raids.1
  • Israel said that it targeted ten sites in Gaza, including production sites and research and development sites, as well as tunnel infrastructure. The Palestinian Ministry of Health said a children’s hospital in Gaza City was damaged in the strikes.2
  • There were no reports of casualties stemming from the Israeli strikes, with AP reporting minor injuries among residents of the southern Lebanese town of Qalili and the death of a flock of sheep near the Rashidiyeh Palestinian refugee camp.3
  • The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that Palestinian militants — allegedly affiliated with Hamas — fired 34 rockets from Lebanon into northern Israel on Thursday. Following the Israeli airstrikes, which hit Gaza first, militants in the strip reportedly fired another barrage of rockets into southern Israel.4
  • Thursday's barrage of rockets from Lebanon is the largest escalation between the two countries since Israel and Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed armed group and political party, came to blows in the 2006 war. Lebanese PM Najib Mikati condemned any military operations that threatened the country's stability, while Hezbollah didn't immediately comment on the incident.5
  • The situation in the West Bank, Gaza, and Israel continues to deteriorate as violence has worsened in the last year due to an increase in Israeli raids in the West Bank following a spree of Palestinian attacks in Israel. This week, Israeli raids into Al-Aqsa Mosque triggered violent clashes. In May 2021, an 11-day conflict broke out between Israel and Hamas, which was sparked by confrontations at Al-Aqsa.6

Sources: 1Reuters, 2CNN, 3Associated Press, 4BBC News, 5The national and 6Guardian.

Narratives

  • Pro-Palestine, as provided by Middle east eye. Though, of course, violence and rocket fire are always terrible, the source of conflict has always been Israel's brutal occupation, which strips Palestinians of their rights, treats them like second-class citizens, and has created a large number of refugees in neighboring countries. As Israeli police brutalize Palestinian worshippers in Al-Aqsa, Israel, as the occupying power, is solely responsible for any retaliation undertaken by Palestinians.
  • Pro-Israel, as provided by The times of israel. Israel has continually made its desire to live in peace clear to both the Palestinians and their regional enablers, and the blame for Thursday's escalation sits squarely on Hamas and possibly Iran as well, which supports terrorists throughout the region, such as Hezbollah. Israel has no interest in another Lebanon war, as that would only aggravate the already tense situation in the region. However, it will not stand by and allow terrorists to freely target Israeli civilians.

Predictions