Israel strikes Lebanon in response to cross-border rocket fire

Israeli artillery and airstrikes hit south Lebanon on Saturday after Israel said it had intercepted rockets fired from across the border, endangering a shaky truce that ended a year-long war between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.

That conflict marked the deadliest spillover of the Gaza war, rumbling across the border for months before a blistering Israeli offensive that wiped out Hezbollah's top commanders, many of its fighters and much of its arsenal.

Hezbollah denied responsibility for Saturday's strikes, saying it had "no link" to the rocket launches and that it remained committed to the ceasefire. No group claimed responsibility for the attack.

An Israeli official said that the identity of the group which fired the rockets was still unconfirmed. Six rockets were fired, the official said, three of which crossed into Israel and were intercepted.

Saturday's exchange was the first since Israel in effect abandoned a separate ceasefire in Gaza with Palestinian militant group Hamas, an ally of Hezbollah, both backed by Israel's arch-foe Iran.

The Israeli military said early on Saturday it had intercepted three rockets launched from a Lebanese district about six km north of the border towards the Israeli border town of Metula, the second cross-border launch since the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in November ended fighting.

In retaliation, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to "act forcefully against dozens of terror targets in Lebanon", Netanyahu said in a statement.

Israel's military said separately it had struck dozens of Hezbollah rocket launchers and a command centre from which the group's militants had been operating, in southern Lebanon.

Lebanon's state news agency reported a spate of Israeli airstrikes and artillery barrages in the country's south, including border towns and hilltops around eight km inside Lebanese territory.

Two people were killed and eight wounded by Israeli airstrikes in the south near the border, the state news agency NNA said, quoting Lebanon's health ministry.

There were no reports of casualties in Israel.

In Gaza, health authorities said five Palestinians had been killed by Israeli fire, including a child, in incidents in Beit Lahiya and Gaza City.

The Israeli military said it was unaware of any attack in Gaza City and Beit Lahiya and was "looking into the reports."

UN SAYS SITUATION 'VOLATILE'

Under the November ceasefire deal, Hezbollah was to have no weapons in southern Lebanon, Israeli ground troops were to withdraw and Lebanese army troops were to deploy into the area.

The agreement specifies that Lebanon's government is responsible for dismantling all military infrastructure in southern Lebanon and confiscating all unauthorised arms.

President Joseph Aoun ordered the Lebanese army to secure "any violation" that could threaten stability in Lebanon. The army said it had found and dismantled three "primitive rocket launchers" in the south.

Netanyahu said Israel was holding Lebanon's government responsible for "everything taking place within its territory. Israel will not allow any harm to its citizens and its sovereignty - and will do everything in its power to ensure the safety of the citizens of Israel and the communities of the North."

The United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, said it was "alarmed" by the border violence.

"Any further escalation of this volatile situation could have serious consequences for the region," it said.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam warned of a renewal of military operations in the south of Lebanon. "All security and military measures must be taken to show that Lebanon decides on matters of war and peace," he said.

The ceasefire ended Israel's intense bombardment and ground operations in Lebanon and Hezbollah's daily rocket barrages into Israel. Each side has accused the other of failing to implement the deal in full.

Israel says Hezbollah still has military infrastructure in the south. Lebanon and Hezbollah say Israel is occupying Lebanese land by continuing to carry out some airstrikes and keeping its troops at five hilltop positions near the frontier.