Israel Stages Rare Strikes In Lebanon, Also Hits Gaza Strip

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel has launched rare strikes in southern Lebanon and pressed on with bombing targets in the Gaza Strip. Friday’s strikes marked a widening escalation in the region following violence this week at Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site. The cross-border fighting erupted during a delicate time. Jews are are celebrating the Passover holiday and Muslims are marking the Ramadan holy month. Similar tensions spilled over into an 11-day war between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers in 2021. Israeli strikes in Lebanon carry the risk of drawing Lebanon’s heavily armed Hezbollah militia into the fighting. Iran-backed Hezbollah is viewed by Israel as a bitter foe and holds sway over much of southern Lebanon.