Europe News Desk!! Israel launched airstrikes on the Gaza Strip and Lebanon on Friday in response to a major rocket attack amid rising tensions in the region. In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it targeted Hamas-linked terrorist bases in southern Lebanon, among other places. The IDF will not allow the terrorist organization Hamas to operate from within Lebanon and if this happens, Lebanon will be held responsible, the statement said. The IDF said it retaliated after 34 rockets were fired from Lebanon into Israel late Thursday. It said 25 rockets were intercepted by IDF aerial defense arrays, while five fell inside Israeli territory and four were being reviewed.
Israeli warplanes stepped up airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, with about 20 missiles hitting four new targets within 10 minutes, the BBC reported. Meanwhile, the militant group Hamas said it did not know who fired the rocket from Lebanon into Israel. The attack was the biggest by Israel’s northern neighbor in 17 years. Hamas chief Ismail Haniyah said Palestinians would not remain silent in the face of Israeli aggression. Tensions have remained high since Israeli police raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem earlier this week.
–IANS
World News Desk!!
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