Israel governmentIsraelJerusalemMiddle EastWorld News Rare Strikes – Israel Launches Surprising Attack on Lebanon and Gaza Strip by Michael Nguyen April 7, 2023 written by Michael Nguyen April 7, 2023 0 comments Bookmark 57 Friday morning, Israel started to bomb places in southern Lebanon, and they are still attacking places in Gaza. This has been caused by violence that happened around a very important religious area in Jerusalem. In 2021, a conflict between the Jews and Muslims began. It happened while they were both celebrating religious holidays; Passover by the Jews and Ramadan by the Muslims. The fight originates from battles at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque which caused an 11-day war between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers. On Thursday, some people in Lebanon shot almost thirty rockets into Israel, which injured two people and damaged property. In response, the Israeli military attacked Hamas – a militant group – in southern Lebanon with missiles. An Associated Press photographer reported that the missiles were dropped on a field near Rashidiyeh refugee camp, next to Tyre city. If Israel strikes against Lebanon, it might cause the Hezbollah militia from Iran to join in the fight. If that happens, a war could start. Hezbollah is very powerful and has a big influence on Southern Lebanon. They also have lots of rockets and missiles and are considered an enemy by Israel. The Israeli military said that during their attack on Friday, they only targeted areas where Palestinian militants were. Also, for the last few years, Hezbollah has kept away from problems with Al-Aqsa Mosque – which is a very important place to both Muslims and Jews. Early on Friday morning in Jerusalem, a lot of people at the hilltop compound started to become violent. The Israeli police were waiting for them at one of the gates and fought with them to stop them from entering the courtyard. Videos show that the police were hitting these people with sticks while they were trying to break through and pushing over tables belonging to vendors. The leader of the UN peacekeepers in Lebanon, Major General Aroldo Lázaro, was talking with Israel and Lebanese representatives on Friday. The United Nations Interim Force (UNIFIL) reported that neither country wanted to go to war. Early Friday, the Israeli military started bombing Gaza again after people from there fired rockets towards the city of Ashkelon in Israel. They bombed an opening leading to a tunnel where weapons are made. The troubles started on Wednesday when Israeli police entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City. Because of this, Gaza fired some rockets on Thursday and also came a big attack from Lebanon with many rockets. Thursday night, Benjamin Netanyahu (the Israeli Prime Minister) held a meeting with his Security Cabinet that lasted three hours long. When it was over he said they will hit back hard against their enemies. Right after, the fighters from Gaza started firing rockets towards southern Israel and everybody heard loud bangs from there. You could also notice the rocket trails heading above into Israel from Gaza. The fighters had only used short-range rockets in this situation, which are not strong enough to reach Tel Aviv and cause heavier responses from Israel. The Israeli military said that Palestinian militants had been sending rockets towards Israel in response to what happened earlier this week at Al-Aqsa mosque. Israeli police used tear gas and stun grenades against Palestinians who were inside the building for two days straight, and these violent scenes had made tensions higher around the region. Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, a spokesman from the Israeli Army, told reporters that there is a strong link between rockets being fired from Lebanon and what’s been happening in Jerusalem lately. He said it was a Palestinian event and that either Hamas or Islamic Jihad, two militant groups located in Gaza but also present in Lebanon, could have been involved. He believes the Lebanese government and Hezbollah knew what happened and needed to take responsibility for it. The mosque is super important to followers of the Islamic religion while Jewish people regard the same spot on top of a hill as their holiest site. Unfortunately, disagreements related to this place have caused lots of violent conflicts throughout history. No one has claimed that they were responsible for the rocket fire in Lebanon. A security official, who didn’t want to give their name because they weren’t allowed to talk to media, said that according to the security forces of Lebanon a Palestinian militant group from inside Lebanon was most likely behind it and not Hezbollah. The Prime Minister of Lebanon, Najib Mikati, was very angry because somebody fired rockets from within his country. He said that he refuses to accept any military conflict. The troops and the U.N. peacekeepers are trying to find out who did this and make sure the situation remains safe and stable. Hezbollah is not happy about the Israeli police searches in Jerusalem. Since 2006, when the war between Israel and Hezbollah ended in a tie, they have been trying hard to avoid fighting again. At the moment, what is happening is linked with Prime Minister Netanyahu’s problems at home. For 3 months now, lots of people have been protesting against his plan to change the way justice works in Israel because they are afraid it will move them closer towards living in an authoritarian country. Important members of the military, like fighter pilots, said they would not go to work if a certain plan is put into action. This alarmed Defense Minister Yoav Gallant because it could be bad for creating safety in Israel. Prime Minister Netanyahu then decided to fire Gallant but then changed his mind. Some people think that Netanyahu made this fuss just so he can shift other people’s focus away from his own troubles. Prime Minister Netanyahu said that the conflict inside their country wouldn’t affect them from defending it from threats coming from other nations. At the moment, they are in a heated state with Lebanon because Israel is trying to fight enemies linked with Iran who are located in Syria, which is a close ally of Iran – an enemy of Israel. Recently, there have been airstrikes in Syria that are believed to be done by Israel. These strikes killed two Iranian military advisers and caused the country’s two biggest airports to shut down for a while. However, these airstrikes have nothing to do with what happened on Thursday. The U.S. spokesman said that Israel has the right to defend themselves from potential threats since they have legitimate security concerns. The leader of the country asked everyone to stay calm in Jerusalem. He said that any action which changes the existing things without consulting others is not allowed. In Jerusalem, people were feeling anxious at Al-Aqsa Mosque; over the past two days, Palestinians had put up barricades with stones and fireworks. People of the mosque have been asking for permission to stay inside for the whole night instead of only during the last 10 days of Ramadan. They are also staying put in their protest against religious Jews who intend to do a special animal sacrifice at this important sacred site during Passover. Israel chose not to stop people from sleeping in the mosque on Friday which might have been because it was the weekend, and Jews normally don’t visit during that time. However, things may start to get heated again when Jewish visits come back on Sunday. Israel does not allow killing animals inside the holy site, but Jewish extremists are trying to make it happen. They even offered money to anyone who tries to bring an animal in. This has made Muslim people very scared that Israel wants to take control of their sacred area. This week, Israeli police were very violent. They used stun grenades and rubber bullets to kick out people who were worshipping in a building. Palestinians reacted by throwing stones and fireworks at the officers. A lot of destruction was done during this fight that lasted for hours, but eventually the police won and managed to force everyone out. A lot of Palestinians were beaten up badly and more than 400 people got arrested. The area is under the control of Israeli authorities, while the compound is taken care of by Islamic and Jordanian officials. The fighting that happened at the site shocked people across the area and many Muslim leaders voiced out against it. People from Gaza City in the Gaza Strip and Beirut also shared their opinions on what happened. 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He has a particular interest in football and basketball, and he enjoys analyzing game strategies and player performance. previous post Tennessee’s House Expelling Democrats Over Guns Protest – What You Need to Know next post Deadly Aftermath: 2 Killed in West Bank Following Israeli Strikes on Lebanon and Gaza You may also like Bookmark Hong Kong man jailed for 6 years after... December 28, 2023 Bookmark AP concludes at least hundreds died in floods... December 28, 2023 Bookmark Live updates | Israeli forces raid a West... December 28, 2023 Bookmark The number of wounded Israeli soldiers is mounting,... December 28, 2023 Bookmark On foot and by donkey cart, thousands flee... December 28, 2023 Bookmark US Research Firm and Two Individuals Face Sanctions... December 27, 2023 Leave a Comment Cancel Reply Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ