Lebanon detains several suspects for March rocket attacks on Israel
Lebanese army says Palestinians among those held over incidents that Hezbollah denied responsibility for; Hamas acknowledges detentions, but denies those arrested were involved
BEIRUT, Lebanon — The Lebanese military said Wednesday it has detained a group of people linked to firing rockets into Israel last month.
The army said in a statement that those detained included a number of Palestinians who were involved in firing rockets in two separate attacks toward Israel in late March, to which Israel responded with airstrikes in Beirut and southern Lebanon.
The Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group denied at the time that it was behind the firing of rockets.
Since the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire in late November ended their 14-month conflict, Israel has withdrawn all its troops from Lebanon, except five strategic posts, but has continued, as is permitted by the deal, to strike Hezbollah targets it deems imminent threats.
The Lebanese army said that a vehicle and other equipment used in the rocket attacks were confiscated, and the detainees were referred to judicial authorities. The army said it had carried out raids in different parts of Lebanon to detain the suspects without giving further details.
On Thursday, the state-run National News Agency reported that Gen. Rodolph Haikal briefed a weekly cabinet meeting about the security situation along the border and the implementation of the ceasefire deal.
Three security officials and one judicial official told The Associated Press that four Palestinians linked to the Hamas terror group are being questioned.
A Hamas official told the AP that several members of the group were detained in Lebanon recently and released shortly afterward, adding that they were not involved in firing rockets into Israel. He said in one case, authorities detained a Hamas member who was carrying an unlicensed pistol.
All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Hezbollah opened fire on Israel with rockets and drones on October 8, 2023, after its ally Hamas in the Gaza Strip launched its invasion and onslaught in southern Israel a day earlier.
The daily attacks on Israel continued for almost a year, displacing some 60,000 residents of northern Israel and killing dozens of Israeli civilians, before the daily skirmishes escalated into open war for about two months, until the November agreement largely stopped the fighting.
On Tuesday, the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said that at least 71 civilians, including 14 women and nine children, have been killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon since the ceasefire took effect.
Israel says strikes in Lebanon since the November ceasefire target Hezbollah and other terror operatives violating the agreement, and aim to prevent the terror group from rebuilding its infrastructure in the country. According to the Israeli military, since the ceasefire began, more than 120 Hezbollah operatives have been killed in strikes.
Lebanese Information Minister Paul Morcos said Thursday in a press conference following a cabinet meeting that Lebanon has recorded 2,740 Israeli violations of the ceasefire and that 190 people have been killed and 485 injured in Lebanon by Israeli strikes since the ceasefire began. He did not specify how many were civilians.
The Times of Israel Community.