Israel fires at south Lebanon in response to rocket launches ...

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Israel fired artillery at targets in Lebanon after four rockets were launched towards Israel from Lebanese territory on Wednesday, the Israeli military said, and a security source said Hezbollah was not involved.

It was the third incident of rocket fire from Lebanon since hostilities between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza flared up on May 10.

Israel's missile defenses intercepted one of the projectiles and "the rest most likely fell in open areas", the military said. The rockets caused air raid sirens to blare near the northern Israeli city of Haifa and areas to the east.

Security sources in Lebanon confirmed that four rockets had been launched towards Israel from Seddiqine, a village in the region of Lebanon's southern coastal city of Tyre.

One security source said group Hezbollah, which has sway in southern Lebanon, had not been involved in the launches, and that the group was trying to determine the source of the rockets. There were no reports of damage on either side.

In an earlier incident, on Monday, six shells were fired from Lebanon towards northern Israel but fell short of the border, drawing retaliatory Israeli artillery fire.

The Israeli military says that some rockets fired from Lebanon, including in an initial incident on Thursday, had landed in the Mediterranean Sea, causing no damage or casualties.

Israel fought a war in 2006 against Hezbollah guerrillas who have access to advanced rockets. The border has been mostly quiet since then.

Small Palestinian factions in Lebanon have fired on Israel sporadically in the past.

Later in the day, UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenetti said that rockets were launched from south Lebanon towards northern Israel, adding that the Israeli army responded.

In a statement, Tenetti noted that Mission and Force Commander Major General Stefano Del Col is in direct contact with all parties, and he urges them to exercise maximum restraint at this crucial time.

“The shelling stopped now and the peacekeepers are on the ground with the Lebanese Armed Forces to evaluate the situation,” he concluded by saying.