Israel has been rocked by Palestinian attacks from various quarters during Passover week, including rocket fire from southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip and a deadly attack on two Jewish sisters in the West Bank. The Palestinian actions followed the violent raids by the Israeli police in recent days on the Muslim-holy Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
Especially the rocket fire from southern Lebanon to northern Israel, the heaviest since 2006, drew attention. A total of 34 rockets were fired on Thursday, 25 of which were by the ‘iron dome‘, the Israeli air defenses, was destroyed in the air. There were no casualties on the Israeli side, but there were a few injuries and material damage.
According to Israel, these were attacks by Hamas fighters, which usually target Israel from its stronghold in Gaza. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh is currently located in South Lebanon. The radical movement is particularly popular in Palestinian refugee camps in southern Lebanon. UN aid agency UNRWA estimates the number of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon at around 180,000.
It has happened several times since May 2021 that Palestinians from East Jerusalem, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and even from within Israel reacted with violence in rapid succession to what they perceived as Israeli aggression against Palestinians in places including the Al Aqsa Mosque. But the fact that Palestinians from South Lebanon are also participating in this is new.
Although Israel is far superior to the Palestinians militarily, the attacks of the past few days prompted Prime Minister Netanyahu to hold emergency consultations with the relevant ministers on Thursday evening. “Israel’s response, today and beyond, will demand a heavy price from its enemies,” he announced menacingly.
The air force then bombed targets in the Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon, including refugee camps. The Israelis also made it clear that they would hold the Lebanese government responsible for any new violence against Israel from Lebanon. It is equally well known that Hamas is settling in more firmly in southern Lebanon. In doing so, the movement works closely with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah, the most powerful party in this part of the country. The impotent Lebanese government does little to hinder the movement. Several Hamas leaders have settled in Beirut in recent years.
Analysts assume that Hezbollah has tacitly agreed to the latest rocket attacks on Israel. Closer cooperation with Hezbollah, meanwhile, is not without risks for Hamas. It thus ends up more strongly in the Shia-dominated pro-Iran camp, which may not go down well with its own Sunni supporters.
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It could also have consequences for Hezbollah. Israel has largely refrained from airstrikes against targets in Lebanon in recent years. Unlike in Syria, where Israel regularly bombs places where Iran would try to gain a foothold militarily. At all costs, Israel wants to prevent Iran from threatening Israel.
There was tension on Friday afternoon after a Palestinian shot dead two Jewish women in a car in the West Bank that morning. When two young Jewish settlers were also killed in their car near Huwara in February, hundreds of settlers retaliated against random Palestinians by setting fire to their houses and cars.
Nevertheless, an Israeli army spokesperson stated Friday that he does not expect things to get out of hand. “Nobody wants an escalation right now. Rest will be met with rest at this stage, at least for the next few hours.” Nevertheless, the army command ordered reservists to be on the safe side. Israeli analysts suspected that Hamas (and Hezbollah) is not currently waiting for a new, devastating confrontation with Israel.
A version of this article also appeared in the newspaper of April 8, 2023