Katyusha Rocket from Southern Lebanon Hits Northern Israel
A Katyusha-type rocket fired from al-Jamal valley which is located between the villages of Houla and Mays al-Jabal in southern Lebanon hit northern Israel on Tuesday night without causing any casualties. Israel has retaliated by shelling the launching point.
The rocket landed in an open ground east of the northern Israeli settlement of Kiryat Shmona and started a fire, which did not cause any damage, the Israeli police said.
Israeli northern military command held an immediate meeting to discuss the incident and retaliation options.
A statement was issued after the meeting holding the Lebanese government responsible for the incident. The statement said the Israeli army considered its retaliation with a few shells as sufficient for the meantime. It also said that it will resume its discussions on how to deal with the incident.
Meanwhile, Lebanese Army and UNIFIL rushed to the scene and encircled the incident”s zone as their patrols roamed the area.
Reports mentioned that the Israeli jetfighters were roaming densely the sky of the South.
This was the fourth rocket attack this year from Lebanon towards Israel and comes as cross-border tensions have been increasing.
On September 11, at least two rockets fired from the southern village of Al-Qlaileh slammed into Israel without causing casualties but triggering retaliatory artillery fire.
A group linked to Al-Qaida claimed responsibility.
In February, Israeli artillery bombarded Al-Qlaileh in response to a rocket attack. There were no casualties in Lebanon, while a few Israelis were lightly wounded.
In January, during Israel”s assault on the Gaza Strip, four rockets fired from Lebanon hit northern Israel, wounding two women.