JERUSALEM – Early on Friday, the Israeli military’s press service confirmed that the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) launched a rocket strike on the Gaza Strip in response to recent rocket fire from the coastal enclave.
The retaliatory rockets came after incidents at the al-Aqsa Mosque’s compound in occupied East Jerusalem, where Israeli forces raided the compound, attacking Palestinian worshippers and arresting over 350 individuals.
The Al Hadath television reported multiple blasts in the Palestinian exclave, with attacks focused on northern and southern areas, including facilities belonging to the Hamas movement.
As tensions continue to rise over Israeli aggression on the al-Aqsa Mosque and the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian resistance launched a new round of missiles towards Israeli settlements.
Palestinian sources claim that the Iron Dome failed to intercept most of the retaliatory rockets, causing fear among Israeli settlers.
Israeli media reported that a house in the Sderot illegal Israeli settlement was directly hit, injuring a settler.
In response to the escalation, flights from Ben Gurion Airport have shifted to northern routes, and Israeli settlers were advised to stay close to shelters.
Most public shelters were opened on Thursday in the majority of settlements in the south and north of occupied Palestine.
Yoav Gallant, Israeli Minister of Military Affairs, stated that the regime is prepared to face different options on all fronts, following a security meeting.
Meanwhile, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary General of Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement, met with a delegation of senior Hamas officials in Beirut to discuss the latest political and field developments in Palestine, Lebanon, and the Middle East.
The meeting addressed recent confrontations in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and al-Quds and their potential outcomes.
In a separate incident on Thursday, at least 30 rockets were reportedly launched from southern Lebanon into the Israeli-occupied territories in retaliation for the Israeli raids against the holy compound.
The projectiles caused injuries and damage in the Western and Upper Galilee areas in the northern part of the territories.
No group has claimed responsibility for the rocket fire, but the Israeli regime has accused Palestinian groups and warned that those responsible will ‘pay the price.’
The situation remains tense as the Israeli government holds a cabinet meeting to discuss the ongoing escalation and prepares to release a statement.
The violence has drawn international attention, with the Arab League’s Ministerial Council condemning the Israeli aggression against the worshippers at the holy site. The United Nations, Iran, Turkey, and several other countries and bodies have also expressed shock and concern about Israeli forces’ incursions into the mosque.
The recent confrontations between Israeli forces and Palestinian worshippers began on Wednesday when Israeli forces raided the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, beating and arresting worshippers, and wounding dozens.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society reported that at least six people were injured in the fresh flare-up. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was ‘shocked and appalled’ by images of Israeli security forces beating people at the al-Aqsa Mosque, calling for peace and nonviolence during the holy time for Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
