“The Lebanese state and the Lebanese army must take responsibility for what is happening in their backyards,” the Israeli prime minister said. (Credit: AFP)
BEIRUT — Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Sunday warned the Lebanese government and army of the consequences of Hezbollah’s actions, calling on them to prevent rocket fire by the Shiite party against Lebanon’s southern neighbor.
Here’s what we know:
• Bennett issued his warning at the start of an Israeli cabinet meeting the day after Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said in a speech that although he is not looking for conflict, he is ready for it. “The Lebanese state and the Lebanese army must take responsibility for what is happening in their backyards,” the Israeli prime minister said.
• Hezbollah on Friday said it had fired "tens" of rockets at Israel, which responded with artillery strikes, raising fears of a major escalation. Hezbollah’s rockets, which were launched in the aftermath of Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon overnight Wednesday, targeted territory in the disputed Golan Heights region, which has been occupied by Israel since 1967. The airstrikes came in response to three rockets fired from Lebanon toward occupied Palestine earlier on Wednesday. The three rockets are presumed to have been launched by Palestinian militants, although no group has claimed responsibility.
• In his remarks, Bennett emphasized, “For us, it doesn’t matter whether it is a Palestinian organization or independent rebels, Israel will not accept rocket fire against its territory. Lebanon must control terrorists firing rockets at Israel, whoever they are they are.” Israeli media also quoted Bennett as saying that as Lebanon “faces a serious economic and political crisis, Iran and Hezbollah continue to drag it into conflict with Israel.”
• Israel and Hezbollah fought a deadly 33-day war in 2006 that left 1,200 people dead on the Lebanese side, mostly civilians, and 160 on the Israeli side, mostly soldiers. Since then the two camps have avoided any major conflagration.
• In Lebanon, meanwhile, Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai on Sunday called on the army to prevent rocket attacks against Israel from southern Lebanon, saying it was unacceptable that a political party be the decision-maker when it comes to war and peace in Lebanon.
• The exchange of fire over the past two days at the Lebanon-Israel border coincides with an upsurge in tensions between Israel and Iran in the wake of a deadly attack on a Israel-linked tanker in the Arabian Sea.