An Israeli air raid has struck the coastal city of Tyre in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese government and several local media outlets have reported.
At least one person has been killed in Tyre from the strikes, the second wave of Israeli attacks Saturday, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. Another Israeli attack in Qlaileh, southeast of Tyre, also wounded four people, according to the ministry.
Earlier in the day, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said his country was at risk of being drawn into a “new war” as dozens of other Israeli air strikes killed at least five people. Salam warned Israel’s “renewed military operations on the southern border” would bring “woes to Lebanon and the Lebanese people”.
Israeli artillery and air strikes hit southern Lebanon after its military said it intercepted three rockets launched from a Lebanese district about 6km (4 miles) north of their shared border. Israel said it targeted rocket launchers it claimed belong to Hezbollah, which it holds responsible for the launches.
The Lebanese group issued a statement denying any involvement in the series of rocket attacks on northern Israel from southern Lebanon.
After similar incidents in the past, Hezbollah would usually maintain silence and let the responsible party claim the attack. The official denial Saturday underscores the difficult situation the group is in amid internal and external pressures.
In Lebanon, Hezbollah is facing growing opposition from political foes, who have held it responsible for instigating the devastating Israeli offensive last year with its “support front” for Gaza.
Defence Minister Michel Menassa has said the Lebanese army has begun investigating the circumstances of the rocket fire. He also called on the states sponsoring the ceasefire to “deter the Israeli enemy from its continued violations and attacks under flimsy pretexts and false pretexts”.
