There have been six documented Lebanese rocket attacks on Israel since the 2006 Lebanon War, each attack including one to three rockets. The Lebanese Government has not claimed responsibility for any of the attacks, and has disavowed some of them.
During the war, Lebanese Islamist militant group Hezbollah fired some 4,000 rockets at Israel. As of September 2009, There were an estimated 30,000 rockets in southern Lebanon, near Israel's border, all under the control of Hezbollah.[1]
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, adopted at the end of the war, called for a full cessation of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel and for the Lebanese government to take full control of its territory, and it authorized the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) "to ensure that its area of operations is not utilized for hostile activities of any kind".[2]
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Two Katyusha rockets were fired from Lebanon at northern Israel, striking the town of Kiryat Shmona. The rockets caused some damage but no casualties.[3][4]
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called the incident "very disturbing".[3][4] Russian Ambassador to Lebanon Sergei Boukin voiced concern about the incident and said it was a violation of UN Resolution 1701.[5]
Hezbollah denied responsibility. A previously unknown militant Islamic group calling iself "Jihadi Badr Brigades – Lebanon branch" claimed responsibility and vowed to continue attacks, saying: "We had promised our people jihad. Here, we again strike the Zionists when a group from the Jihadi Badr Brigades struck the Zionists in the occupied Palestinian territory."[5]
At least three Katyusha rockets were fired from southern Lebanon into the area of Nahariya in northern Israel. One of the rockets directly hit a nursing home for the elderly. At least two people were wounded, one suffering a broken leg, and others suffered from shock. A witness said that the second floor of the facility, where the residents sleep, sustained heavy damage, and that many lives were saved because they were in the dining hall at the time. Israel Police ordered residents of the city to remain close to fortified areas, and Shlomi Regional Council residents were told to open their bomb shelters; school in the area was cancelled. The incident took place during the Gaza War.[6][7] [8]
Israel responded by firing five artillery shells into Lebanon, which it said was a pinpoint response at the source of fire.[6][7]
The Lebanese Office of the Prime Minister rejected the attack on Israel, saying: "Prime Minister Siniora regards what happened in the south as a violation of the international resolution 1701 and something he does not accept and Siniora called for an investigation into the incident". Hezbollah denied involvement, as did Hamas sources in Lebanon. An official from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command did not deny responsibility for the attack, and stated: "Don’t be surprised to see more rockets launched into northern Israel. It’s a normal response to Israel’s brutal aggression."[9][7]
In the second such attack in a week, rockets were fired from Lebanon into northern Israel, landing near the town of Kiryat Shmona. No injury or damage was reported. Residents fled to bomb shelters.[10]
According to Haaretz, the attack and the previous one were carried out by Hezbollah through the proxy of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command, a close Hezbollah ally.[11]
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon expressed alarm at the incident and urged restraint from all sides.[12]
Two rockets were fired from near the Lebanese coastal town of Naqoura into northern Israel, one striking a mostly Christian Arab Israeli village. At least one person was lightly injured.[13]
Israel responded by firing some six artillery shells at the launch area, causing no injuries.[13]
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora said that the rockets "threatened security and stability" in the region and violated UN Resolution 1701. He also called Israel's retaliation "an unjustified violation of Lebanese sovereignty."[13]
Two Katyusha rockets were fired from Lebanon into northern Israel, one striking near Nahariya and another near Kibbutz Gesher Haziv. No damage or injury was reported. A witness said that the rockets had sparked panic, with residents entering bunkers and children being evacuated from schools. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the attack violated United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 and that Israel would hold the Lebanese government accountable for it.[14][15][1]
Israel responded by firing some 12 artillery shells at the launch area, near Qlayleh. No damage or injury was reported.[15]
The United Nations condemned the attack on Israel and urged both sides "to exercise maximum restraint."[1]
According to Lebanese commentators, the attack on Israel was connected to the country's political crisis exacerbated by Saad Hariri's inability to form a government. United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) spokesman Milos Strugar blamed radicals from Palestinian refugee camps in southern Lebanon for the attack.[15]
UNIFIL had been warned of a possible attack 10 days before it occurred, and the UN body informed the Lebanese army two days before the attack.[15]
A Katyusha rocket was fired from Lebanese town of Hula into northern Israel, striking an open area east of Kiryat Shmona. The rocket caused a fire, but no serious damage or injury was reported. An Israeli military spokeswoman said Israel was treating the shooting "very seriously" and that it held the Lebanese government responsible.[16][17]
Israel responded with artillery fire at Lebanon, causing no casualties,[16] and lodged a complaint with the United Nations.[18]
Lebanese President Michel Suleiman said that an "Israeli agent" was responsible for the attack.[19] The Brigades of Abdullah Azzam, Battalions of Ziad Jarrah, a group linked to Al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility. In a statement, the group linked the attack to the 2009 Temple Mount riots: "The occupying Jews have dared to repeatedly raid the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Mosque ... In response to this aggression, a battalion among the Battalions of Ziad Jarrah" fired the Katyusha, the group said.[20] The United States condemned the attack and, in a reference to Hezbollah, said it underscored the need to disarm all Lebanese groups.[21]
UNIFIL launched an inquiry into the incident. The following day, the Lebanese military discovered four more rockets, ready to be fired, in a the garden and on the balcony of a house belonging to the mayor of Hula.[17]
The Lebanese Army later arrested Fadi Ibrahim of Ein el-Hilweh near Sidon for firing the rocket. Ibrahim was said to be a member of Fatah al-Islam, which is linked to al-Qaida. According to Lebanese daily A-Safir, Ibrahim and his followers were responsible for the subsequently discovered rockets as well.[22]
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