May 18 2021 The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on the 17th that it fired into Lebanese territory that night in response to rocket fire in the direction of Lebanon. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said the situation in southern Lebanon was calm.
The statement said that night, six rockets fired from Lebanese territory into Israel, triggering an air defense alert in northern Israel.
The statement said all six rockets had “failed to fire” and had not entered Israeli territory. In response, Israeli artillery units fired at “sources” in Lebanon. Reuters quoted sources as saying that Israel fired about 22 shells into Lebanese territory.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said rockets had been found in southern Lebanon and had contacted the Lebanese and Israeli militaries to urge both sides to exercise maximum restraint to prevent the situation from escalating. The IDF has now ceased firing and the situation in the area is calm.
In recent days, as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues to escalate, Lebanon has held many demonstrations in solidarity with Palestine. To prevent the situation from spiralling out of control, the Lebanese military deployed troops along the Lebanese-Israeli border and set up checkpoints to prevent protesters from approaching the border fence between the two countries.
