Israeli airstrikes targeted locations in southern Lebanon connected to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah on Saturday in response to rockets being fired from Lebanon into Israel after months of no activity. This escalation of hostilities is reflective of how the ongoing Israeli operations in Gaza are having repercussions throughout the Middle East.

The Israeli military managed to intercept three rockets with no casualties reported. This rocket attack was the first since November when a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was arranged by the U.S. and France. Hezbollah and other Lebanese armed groups have not yet claimed responsibility for the rocket firing, which occurred as Israel had intensified its military actions against Hamas in Gaza.

Following Hamas’s attacks on October 7, 2023, which led to the Gaza conflict, Hezbollah and other allies in the Middle East have been targeting Israel in solidarity. Saturday, the Lebanese Army announced they had found and deactivated rocket launchers in southern Lebanon, Hezbollah’s bastion, emphasizing their ongoing efforts to control the situation. The November truce obliges the Lebanese government to prevent Hezbollah and similar groups from launching attacks on Israel. Despite the truce, Israeli forces remain within Lebanese territory.

This revival of Israeli bombardments in Gaza has provoked further attacks from other Hamas affiliates. The Houthi militia in Yemen, supported by Iran like Hamas and Hezbollah, has resumed firing ballistic missiles at Israel. These strikes have prompted hundreds of thousands of Israelis to seek refuge. Israeli leaders have justified their renewed aggression in Gaza as a tactic to coerce Hamas into releasing the remaining hostages. However, Hamas counters that Israel is violating the ceasefire agreement. Euan Ward and Rawan Sheikh Ahmad contributed to the report.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/22/world/middleeast/lebanon-israel-rockets-airstrikes-gaza.html