Israel attacks southern Lebanon, reports intercepting cross-border rockets onto Metula

CAIRO – 22 March 2025: Israeli forces launched strikes on southern Lebanon on Saturday after they reported intercepting rockets fired from across the border, aimed at the town of Metula.

Israeli forces conducted artillery fire and airstrikes against several towns near the border, according to Reuters.

These rockets mark the first instances of fire from Lebanon towards Israel since a truce brokered by the US took effect in November, halting Israel's intense bombardment and ground operations in Lebanese territory.

The ceasefire had brought relative calm between Israel and Hezbollah after a year of exchanges following the outbreak of war in Gaza in October 2023. Israeli attacks on Lebanon killed more than 4,000 people since the Gaza war.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened that his forces will seize and annex more territory in Gaza if Hamas does not release all the captives they still hold in the enclave#Egypt #Africa #MENAhttps://t.co/nxHLUDV2NA

— Egypt Today Magazine (@EgyptTodayMag) March 22, 2025

However, Israel has maintained its troops at five locations in Lebanon, defying the agreement that mandates a complete withdrawal, a situation the Lebanese government and Hezbollah emphasize as occupation.

ATTACKS ON METULA

On Saturday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz held the Lebanese government responsible for the rocket launches, warning that “the rule of Metula is the rule of Beirut,” indicating a potential threat of attacks on Lebanon.

In response to these developments, new Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam cautioned against renewed military operations along the southern border, which could risk dragging the country into another war.

Salam instructed his Minister of National Defense, Michel Mansi, to implement “all necessary security and military measures that ensure that only the state has the authority to decide matters of war and peace,” according to a statement from his office.

Salam also spoke with UN Secretary General’s Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, urging increased international pressure on Israel to fully withdraw from occupied Lebanese territory in accordance with UN Resolution 1701 and the terms of the ceasefire.

These attacks occur amid Israel's renewed extensive airstrikes on Gaza since Tuesday, killing more than 600 people over the past few days, predominantly women and children, and disrupting a ceasefire that had lasted nearly two months.

The Israeli war in Gaza has killed over 49,600 Palestinians to date and dragged the region into a wave of instability, triggering attacks on Israeli targets from Lebanon and Yemen in solidarity with the Palestinian populaton.