Beirut ‘responsible’ for Lebanon-based ‘terrorist attacks’ on Israel, IDF claims as UN calls for ‘restraint’

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has said Beirut needs to take responsibility for acts of hostility, notably Wednesday’s rocket fire originating in Lebanon, as the UN pleads with all involved to avoid an escalation.

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) called on Israel and parties in Lebanon to stop firing after rockets were launched from inside southern Lebanon into Israel, triggering retaliation from the IDF. 

A UNIFIL statement noted that the head of mission and force commander, Major General Stefano Del Col, had been in touch with both parties. “He urged them to cease fire and to exercise maximum restraint to avoid further escalation, especially on this solemn anniversary [of the Beirut Port explosion],” the statement reads. 

The general said that UNIFIL was working with the Lebanese Armed Forces to follow up on the ground and reinforce security along the Blue Line, the border demarcation between the two countries.

Earlier on Wednesday, Israel said that three rockets were fired from Lebanon at Israel, two of which struck Israeli territory. The IDF responded by firing artillery rounds back into Lebanon.

In a tweet later in the day, the IDF said it was up to the government in Beirut to control militants in its own territory, having labeled the earlier incident a “terrorist” attack. 

“Not only is rocket fire from Lebanon at Israeli civilians an act of terrorism, it also is indicative of the Lebanese government’s lack of governance of terrorist organizations operating in Lebanon,” the tweet read, adding that Beirut is “responsible for all attacks from Lebanon.”

The Lebanese Army later issued a statement saying that Israeli forces had fired 92 shells onto several areas in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, some of which caused a fire in the town of Rashaya al-Fokhar. The statement added that the army has started an investigation to determine who carried out the earlier rocket launches.

“The situation is being monitored with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon,” it said.

No party has immediately claimed responsibility for the rocket attack, but the area of southern Lebanon from which they were fired is widely considered to be controlled by Hezbollah militant groups. 

A similar incident occurred in late July, when two missiles were fired at Israel from Lebanon, following an IDF strike on targets in Syria’s Aleppo Region.

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