Israel Prepares Forces 'On All Borders' Amid Lebanon Rocket Attacks, Unrest

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are readying for potential unrest on all of the country's borders amid a wave of violence spurred by the recent Israeli storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and a large barrage of rockets fired from across the Lebanese border.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, IDF spokesperson Richard Hecht said that about 34 rockets were launched earlier in the day from Lebanon into Israel, 25 of which were intercepted and six of which fell into Israeli territory. The barrage is one of the largest since the last war between the neighboring rivals fought 15 years ago, and Hecht called the new attack a "very serious event."

While Hecht said the IDF has not yet identified the perpetrator, he said the launch was believed to have been conducted by a Palestinian group, potentially tied to Hamas or Islamic Jihad, two movements present in the Gaza Strip, from which rockets have also been fired recently as Israel deals with one of its most serious year-long waves of violence in decades during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and week-long Jewish feast of Passover.

This unrest was severely exacerbated Tuesday when Israeli security forces raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam, in response to what they alleged to be Palestinian worshippers armed with firecrackers and stones refusing to leave the compound. And while Hecht said that the "intensity is going down" in Jerusalem, he warned of the potential for further instability as attacks emerged from Gaza and Lebanon.

"We're looking at it very closely," Hecht said in response to Newsweek's question, "and we're preparing ourselves on all borders."

Hecht said the IDF was also looking into potential involvement from Iran and said Hezbollah likely had knowledge of the rocket attack, though the powerful Lebanese movement was not believed to have been behind it.

The Iranian Mission to the United Nations told Newsweek that, "no, Iran didn't interfere" in the rocket attacks from Lebanon, and referred Newsweek to tweets in which the Mission said Thursday that "Israeli regime's brutality against Al-Aqsa Mosque & its worshipers, which stems from this regime's nature, violates all [human rights] standards."

"The Israeli regime now does this to deflect attention away from its internal collapse," the Iranian Mission said. "It's time to respond to this barbarism collectively."

"For decades the [Security Council] has avoided fulfilling its responsibilities to hold the Israeli regime accountable for its crimes due to the US's unwavering support," the Mission added. "[The International] Community must stop being silent & act united [against] Israeli aggression, occupation, & desecration of Al-Aqsa Mosque."

Reached for comment, a spokesperson for Hamas referred Newsweek to a statement issued Thursday by the group regarding a meeting held by Hamas Political Bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh with Palestinian resistance factions in the Lebanese capital of Beirut, "where he discussed with them the developments of the situation in occupied Palestine, especially the ongoing aggression against the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque by the Zionist occupation forces and herds of settlers."

The meeting resulted in a eight-point statement in which Haniyeh praised the role of Palestinian factions operating in exile, condemned "the continuous Zionist aggression against the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque" and held "the occupation government fully responsible for the brutal aggression that is taking place against the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and the worshipers and seclusion in it."

He also affirmed "that our Palestinian people and the resistance factions will not stand idly by in front of this brutal aggression," and called on various entities including the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Arab League and all Arab and Muslim nations to immediately take action in support of Al-Aqsa.

"We warn the enemy government against persisting in its aggression against Al-Aqsa Mosque, and we consider it a threat not only to Palestine, but to all Arab and Islamic countries," the statement said. "We stress the continuation of the path of resistance and defense of Al-Aqsa Mosque by all available means, and we will not allow the occupation government to implement its plans to Judaize Jerusalem and divide Al-Aqsa Mosque."

Contacted by Newsweek, a spokesperson for Hezbollah declined to comment on the recent rocket attacks from Lebanon. Newsweek has also reached out to the Lebanese Mission to the United Nations for comment.

Earlier Thursday, the head of Hezbollah's Executive Council, Hashem Safieddine warned that the "the Zionist quest to target Al-Aqsa and harm our holy sites will inflame the region," according to Lebanon's Hezbollah-affiliated Al Manar outlet.

"Let the Zionists know that Al-Aqsa Mosque is not alone and that behind it are hundreds of millions of Muslims who are ready to give blood for it," Safieddine added.

The recent escalations constitute one of the most serious flares of violence in the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict since the Israel-Gaza war of May 2021, also sparked by an Israeli raid on Al-Aqsa and a housing dispute between Israeli and Palestinian families in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of Israel-occupied East Jerusalem. That conflict also saw rocket fire into Israel from Lebanon as well as from Syria, where the IDF has frequently conducted airstrikes.

Hecht said Thursday that the IDF has not yet conducted any retaliatory operations against Lebanon as was the case during cross-border attacks two years ago, though Lebanon's official National News Agency reported artillery strikes from Israel near the outskirts of the southern villages of Al-Qleila, Al-Maalieh and Wadi Zibqin.

The Lebanese Armed Forces also said that rocket launchers suspected to have been used in the strikes against Israel were found in the vicinity of these sites, and that work was underway to dismantle them.

Later Thursday, the IDF identified the remnants of what it said were two additional rocket launches near the Israeli border village of Metula.

Contacted by Newsweek, a spokesperson for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), shared a statement saying the "current situation is extremely dangerous" and that the force "urges restraint to avoid further escalation."

UNIFIL, a multinational peacekeeping operation tasked with monitoring the Israel-Lebanon border, also known as the "Blue Line," is comprised of roughly 10,000 troops from 47 countries. The mission has occasional caught up in cross-border violence and was forced to seek shelter amid the latest round of attacks.

"UNIFIL peacekeepers continue to perform their duties, to the best of our abilities, during this difficult day," the spokesperson told Newsweek. "Given the volatile and dangerous situation, per standard protocol, civilian and military staff were ordered to seek shelter in bunkers on their bases. We continue to monitor the situation and engage all of our liaison and coordination mechanisms to bring this to a swift and peaceful resolution."

As for reports of additional rockets launched at Metula, the spokesperson said UNIFIL was "aware" of them and "looking into it."

"Our Head of Mission and Force Commander continues to be in touch with the parties and we urge calm at this very sensitive time," the UNIFIL spokesperson added.

Meanwhile, in Gaza, the IDF conducted airstrikes Wednesday against what it alleged to be Hamas outposts used to manufacture weapons and train operatives in response to several rocket attacks against Israel. Further strikes were conducted Thursday.

As regional condemnation of Israel mounts over the Al-Aqsa episode, even the Arab states that recognize Israel have issued harsh words as violence continues to play out. Speaking to CNN on Thursday, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi said that the rocket fire from Lebanon into Israel was "the outcome of the unprovoked Israeli aggression on peaceful worshippers performing their religious duty."

"We're unfortunately at the exact moment, the dangerous moment we have worked for months to avoid," Safadi said, "which is a moment where violence is erupting."

Israel's ally, the United States, condemned the attacks.

"We condemn the launch of rockets from Lebanon and Gaza at Israel," State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said during a briefing Thursday. "Our commitment to Israel's security is ironclad and we recognize Israel's legitimate right to defend itself against all forms of aggression."

At the same time, he urged calm regarding the still-unfolding situation surrounding Al-Aqsa, saying that "we are concerned by the scenes out of Jerusalem, and it is our viewpoint that it is absolutely vital that the sanctity of holy sites be preserved."

"We emphasize the importance of upholding the historic status quo at the holy sites in Jerusalem and any unilateral action that jeopardizes the status, to us, is unacceptable," Patel said. "And we call for restraint, coordination and calm during the holiday season."