Tel Aviv [Israel], April 7: Israeli warplanes conducted a series of large airstrikes in the Gaza Strip at dawn on April 7 in response to a recent rocket attack from Lebanon.
The Israeli military announced early on April 4 that it was bombing the Gaza Strip , in response to the security violations by Hamas forces in recent days.
The Times of Israel reported that Israel attacked two tunnels and two Hamas weapons production facilities in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, rockets were also launched from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel, sirens blaring across border towns.
Israel accuses Hamas of launching rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel and is behind the attack from Lebanon on April 6. A total of 34 rockets were launched from southern Lebanon into parts of northern Israel on April 6, the largest attack since the 2006 war.
The Israeli military accused Hamas, which has a presence in the Palestinian refugee community in southern Lebanon, of being behind the attack.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called an emergency meeting of the security council on the night of April 6, declaring that "the enemy will pay a price for every provocation".
Mr. Netanyahu stressed the solidarity in Israeli society in responding, despite recent contradictions over the government's judicial reform plan.
According to the Times of Israel , other members of the ruling coalition also called for a tough response, while the opposition supported the response but also criticized the government for its policies that led to the current situation.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions following Israeli police raids on the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Israeli riot police on April 4 stormed the Al-Aqsa mosque's prayer room on the pretext of driving out "youth breaking the law and masked agitators" they said were trying to guard inside. Hamas issued a statement accusing Israel of causing serious escalation and provocations against the Gaza Strip.
The US State Department condemned the rocket attack from Lebanon and from the Gaza Strip to Israel, saying Israel had a right to defend itself. However, Washington also expressed concern about the incident at Al-Aqsa temple.
The United Nations Security Council held a closed-door meeting to discuss this potentially escalating crisis. UN officials called on all parties concerned to exercise restraint and said they were in contact with the parties to de-escalate the situation.
Source: ThanhNien Newspaper
