Israeli army claims to have intercepted three rockets fired from Lebanon

The Israeli army claimed on Saturday that it had intercepted three rockets launched from Lebanon toward the Metula area in northern Israel.

In a statement, the army said: “Following the alerts that were activated at 7.32-7.34 am (0532-0534GMT) in Metula, three launches were detected that crossed Lebanese territory.”

The Israeli army claimed to have intercepted the launches. No further details were provided regarding the incident.

The daily Haaretz reported that this marks the first such attack in three months.

The incident comes amid heightened tensions as Israel carried out a surprise aerial campaign on Gaza on Tuesday, shattering a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement with the Palestinian group that took hold in January.

A fragile ceasefire has also been in place in Lebanon since November, ending months of cross-border warfare between Israel and the Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah, that escalated into a full-scale conflict in September.

Lebanese authorities reported nearly 1,100 Israeli violations of the ceasefire, including the deaths of at least 85 victims and injuries to more than 280.

Under the ceasefire deal, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by Jan. 26, but the deadline was extended to Feb. 18 after Israel refused to comply. It still maintains a military presence at five border outposts.