Tel Aviv, March 28, 2025: Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, issued a stern warning to Lebanon on Friday following rocket fire from its territory, further straining a fragile truce that had largely ended more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah.
“If there is no quiet in Kiryat Shmona and the Galilee communities, there will be no quiet in Beirut either,” Katz said, referring to northern Israeli towns targeted by the rockets.
According to the Israeli military, two projectiles were launched from Lebanon towards Israel on Friday morning. One was intercepted, while the other fell within Lebanese territory.
This marks the second instance of rocket fire from Lebanon since the ceasefire agreement in November, which ended months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Despite the truce, Israel has continued conducting airstrikes in southern Lebanon.
“The Lebanese government bears direct responsibility for any fire toward the Galilee,” Katz added.
The latest rocket attacks came just hours after Israeli airstrikes killed six people in southern Lebanon, with Israel claiming it had targeted Hezbollah operatives.
Lebanon’s National News Agency reported Israeli artillery shelling in the village of Khiam, located five kilometers from the Israeli border. The border town of Kfar Kila was also targeted, while Israeli forces conducted search operations on Hammamess Hill, where heavy gunfire was reported.
Hezbollah began launching rockets at Israel on October 8, 2023, in support of Hamas after the Palestinian group’s unprecedented attack on southern Israel. That attack triggered Israel’s invasion of Gaza, which has since killed more than 50,000 Palestinians amid accusations of genocide.
The conflict escalated into a full-scale invasion, with Israel carrying out extensive bombing campaigns in Lebanon and deploying ground troops.
The November ceasefire led to a partial Israeli withdrawal, though Israeli forces continue to hold five strategic positions in southern Lebanon beyond the agreed deadline for withdrawal.
Last weekend witnessed the deadliest escalation since the truce, with Israeli strikes killing eight people in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanese officials.
The United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) expressed alarm at the situation, warning of a potential resurgence in violence.
Hezbollah has denied involvement in the most recent rocket attacks, dismissing Israel’s allegations as “pretexts for its continued aggression.”
Under the ceasefire terms, Hezbollah was required to withdraw its forces north of the Litani River, approximately 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the Israeli border, and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure in the south.
Meanwhile, in Gaza, Israel has resumed its military offensive, breaking a ceasefire with Hamas that had brought weeks of relative calm. Palestinian militants responded with rocket fire into Israel.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, renewed Israeli airstrikes in the past week have killed 855 people and displaced 142,000 more, as humanitarian conditions continue to deteriorate under an Israeli blockade.
