2023 Israel–Lebanon shellings explained

Conflict:	2023 Israel–Lebanon shellings
Partof:	the Iran–Israel proxy conflict and the Israeli–Lebanese conflict
Date:	6–7 April 2023 (1 day)
Place:	Southern Lebanon, Northern Israel, Gaza Strip
Result:	Ceasefire
Combatant1:	PIJ
Combatant2:	Israel
Commander1:	Ismail Haniyeh Ziyad al-Nakhalah
Commander2:	Benjamin Netanyahu Yoav Gallant
Casualties3:	3 Israeli civilians injured

On 6 April 2023, dozens of rockets were fired from Lebanon into Israel, wounding 3 Israeli civilians. The Israel government alleged that the rockets were fired by Palestinian factions Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, with Hezbollah's approval.^[1]

In the morning of 7 April, the Israeli Air Force struck targets in Tyre, Lebanon and in the Gaza Strip in retaliation.^[2]

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) described the situation as "extremely serious" and urged restraint. It said UNIFIL chief Aroldo Lazaro was in contact with authorities on both sides.^[3]

The attacks were the largest escalation between Lebanon and Israel since the 2006 Lebanon War and until the 2023 Israel–Lebanon border clashes.^[1]

Background

See main article: List of rocket attacks from Lebanon on Israel. Palestinian refugees have had a long presence in Southern Lebanon, with it being often used as a center to launch rockets into northern Israel. A state of heightened tension existed between Israel and Hamas following the 2023 Al-Aqsa clashes.

Shellings

On 6 April 2023, dozens of rockets were fired from Lebanon into Israel, wounding 3 Israeli civilians. The Israel Defense Forces has said that it has intercepted 25 rockets fired from Lebanon.^[4] Warning sirens had sounded in the town of Shlomi and in Betzet in northern Israel. According to Israel, the rockets were fired by Palestinian factions Hamas and PIJ with Hezbollah's approval.^[1]

On the early morning of 7 April, the Israeli Air Force retaliated by striking targets in Tyre, Lebanon and in the Gaza Strip.^[5]

In a written statement, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) described the situation as "extremely serious" and urged restraint. It said UNIFIL chief Aroldo Lazaro was in contact with authorities on both sides.^[6] The attacks are the largest escalation between the two countries since the 2006 Lebanon War.^[1]

Involvement of Hezbollah

Hezbollah was alleged by Israel to have given permission for Hamas to fire the rockets,^[7] however, Israeli airstrikes did not target Hezbollah positions and Hezbollah has insisted that it will not get involved in "local attacks" by Israel in Lebanon.^[8]

Reactions

• Zhai Jun, the special envoy to the Middle East held a conference with envoys of the Arab League of its member states urging "relevant sides to act in accordance with relevant U.N. resolutions, and earnestly respect and maintain the historical status quo of the holy sites in Jerusalem, and shared what China has done to ease the situation," calling for a United Nations Security Council emergency meeting.^[9]
• Prime Minister of Lebanon Najib Mikati condemned the rockets fired towards Israel from its soil.^[10] He added that Lebanon rejects the use of its territory to carry out operations that destabilise the situation.^[11] The Lebanese Government and UNIFIL also began investigating the source of the rocket attacks.
• The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France condemned the rocket strikes against Israeli territory.^[12]
• Greece's Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the launch of rockets against Israel, and called for both sides to avoid further escalation of conflict.^[13]
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesman Nasser Kanaani strongly condemned the attacks in Southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.^[14]
• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union, and Cooperation of Spain condemned the rocket attacks against Israel, and calls for restraint to prevent violence.^[15]
• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar condemned Israeli aggression in Southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.^[16]
• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine condemned the usage of rockets against Israel, and expressed deep concern for the region.^[17]
• Foreign Secretary James Cleverly condemned the rocket strikes against Israel and recognized its right to self-defend.^[18]
• State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel stated "We condemn the launch of rockets from Lebanon and Gaza. Our commitment to Israel’s security is ironclad. We recognize Israel’s legitimate right to defend itself against all forms of aggression." According to The Times of Israel, the "Biden administration had blocked the UN Security Council from issuing a statement on the latest uptick in violence, fearing that it would be used to draw an equivalency between its actions and those of terror groups."^[19]

See also

• List of rocket attacks from Lebanon on Israel

Notes and References

1. News: Greene . Richard Allen . Gold . Hadas . Qiblawi . Tamara . Dozens of rockets fired from Lebanon into Israel after raids on al-Aqsa mosque . 6 April 2023 . CNN . 6 April 2023 . 6 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230406142549/https://edition.cnn.com/2023/04/06/middleeast/lebanon-rockets-israel-intl/index.html . live .
2. Web site: IDF strikes Hamas 'infrastructure targets' in southern Lebanon . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230407024823/https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-april-7-2023/ . 2023-04-07 . 2023-04-07 . Times of Israel . en-US.
3. Web site: 6 April 2023 . UNIFIL urges restraint after Israel intercepts rockets fired from southern Lebanon . 2023-04-06 . Al Arabiya English . en . 2023-04-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230406142746/https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2023/04/06/Sirens-warning-of-possible-incoming-rockets-sound-in-northern-Israel . live .
4. Web site: 6 April 2023 . Israel says more than 30 rockets fired from southern Lebanon . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230406123353/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/4/6/israel-intercepts-rocket-fired-from-southern-lebanon-military . 6 April 2023 . 6 April 2023 . . en.
5. Web site: IDF strikes Hamas 'infrastructure targets' in southern Lebanon . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230407024823/https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-april-7-2023/ . 2023-04-07 . 2023-04-07 . Times of Israel . en-US.
6. Web site: 6 April 2023 . UNIFIL urges restraint after Israel intercepts rockets fired from southern Lebanon . 2023-04-06 . Al Arabiya English . en . 2023-04-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230406142746/https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2023/04/06/Sirens-warning-of-possible-incoming-rockets-sound-in-northern-Israel . live .
7. Web site: Federman . Josef . Akram . Fares . 6 April 2023 . Israel stages rare strikes in Lebanon, also hits Gaza Strip . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230408195103/https://apnews.com/article/israel-jerusalem-al-aqsa-temple-mount-d5eb317fe2a0083db0160297c4f494d7 . 2023-04-08 . 2023-04-09 . AP NEWS . en.
8. Web site: Ravid . Barak . 7 April 2023 . Inside Israel's decision not to target Hezbollah in striking Lebanon . 2023-04-09 . Axios . en . 2023-04-08 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230408004737/https://www.axios.com/2023/04/07/israel-strikes-lebanon-hamas-hezbollah-gaza . live .
9. Web site: O'Connor . Tom . 7 April 2023 . What U.S., China and Russia Are Saying About Israel, Gaza, Lebanon Violence . 10 April 2023 . Newsweek.
10. Web site: 6 April 2023 . Sabarwal . Harshit . Lebanon refuses any escalation from its territory: PM condemns barrage of rockets fired towards Israel . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230406215755/https://www.wionews.com/world/lebanon-refuses-any-escalation-from-its-territory-pm-condemns-barrage-of-rockets-fired-towards-israel-579950 . 2023-04-06 . 2023-04-06 . WION . en-us.
11. Web site: 6 April 2023 . Lebanon's PM condemns rockets launched toward Israel from within country . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230406212257/https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/lebanons-pm-condemns-rockets-launched-toward-israel-from-within-country/ . 2023-04-06 . 2023-04-06 . Times of Israel . en-US.
12. Web site: Situation in the Middle East (7 April 2023) . 2023-04-07 . GOUV . en-us . 2023-04-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230407175124/https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/country-files/israel-palestinian-territories/news/2023/article/situation-in-the-middle-east-07-04-23 . live .
13. Web site: Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the rocket attacks against Israel and the escalation of violence in the region . 2023-04-07 . MFA . en-us . 2023-04-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230407130008/https://www.mfa.gr/en/current-affairs/statements-speeches/statement-by-the-ministry-of-foreign-affairs-regarding-the-rocket-attacks-against-israel-and-the-escalation-of-violence-in-the-region-07042023.html . live .
14. Web site: Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman's reaction to Zionist regime aggression against Lebanon and Gaza . 2023-04-07 . en.mfa.ir . en-us . 2023-04-09 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230409083544/https://en.mfa.ir/portal/NewsView/716602 . live .
15. Web site: Situation in the Middle East . 2023-04-07 . GOB . en-us . 2023-04-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230407155912/https://www.exteriores.gob.es/en/Comunicacion/Comunicados/Paginas/2023_COMUNICADOS/20230407-COMU014.aspx . live .
16. Web site: قطر تدين العدوان الإسرائيلي على قطاع غزة وتدعو للتهدئة . 2023-04-07 . mofa.gov.qa . ar-qa . 2023-04-09 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230409083522/https://www.mofa.gov.qa/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%B3%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%A9/%D9%82%D8%B7%D8%B1-%D8%AA%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%8A%D9%84%D9%8A-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D9%82%D8%B7%D8%A7%D8%B9-%D8%BA%D8%B2%D8%A9-%D9%88%D8%AA%D8%AF%D8%B9%D9%88-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%AF%D8%A6%D8%A9 . live .
17. Web site: Comment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine regarding the aggravation of the security situation in the Middle East . 2023-04-07 . MFA . en-us . 2023-04-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230407205608/https://mfa.gov.ua/en/news/comment-ministry-foreign-affairs-ukraine-regarding-aggravation-security-situation-middle-east . live .
18. Web site: Calls for de-escalation at Jerusalem's holy sites: Foreign Secretary statement . 2023-04-07 . GOV . en-en . 2023-04-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230407084400/https://www.gov.uk/government/news/calls-for-de-escalation-at-jerusalems-holy-sites-foreign-secretary-statement . live .
19. Web site: Magid . Jacob . 6 April 2023 . US says Israel has 'right to defend itself' after Lebanon rockets; UN urges restraint . 20 April 2023 . The Times of Israel.