The Israeli army carried out strikes in Gaza and Lebanon

This is the latest episode in a sudden rise in tension in the Middle East. Israel attacked, Friday, April 7 before dawn, in Gaza and Lebanon, claiming to target Hamas targets, after the firing of several dozen rockets against Israel the day before from these two territories.

Violent explosions were heard in particular in the Tire region of southern Lebanon. In the Gaza Strip, the army carried out several air raids during the night, targeting tunnels, a heavy machine gun and weapons manufacturing workshops belonging to Hamas, an Islamist movement in power in this micro-territory since 2007, according to military press releases.

“Our response will pay a high price”

“Our response […] will pay a high price” Israel’s enemies, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after a security cabinet meeting. “Israeli defense is ready to face any threat, on any front”said Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. These statements follow the firing on Thursday of around 30 rockets from Lebanon towards Israel, injuring one person and causing material damage, in an escalation on the Israeli-Lebanese front unparalleled since 2006. The Israeli army said to be certain that the unclaimed rocket attacks from Lebanon were “palestinians”, and probably according to her the work of Hamas or Islamic Jihad. These shots took place the day after the violent irruption of the Israeli police in the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, the third holiest site in Islam, in order to dislodge Palestinians who had barricaded themselves there.