Islamist group Hamas condemned Israel’s “aggression” against Lebanon following strikes near the southern city of Tyre, in a statement issued early on Friday.
“We strongly condemn the blatant Zionist aggression against Lebanon in the vicinity of Tyre at dawn today,” it said.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), for its part, said it had attacked targets belonging to Hamas in southern Lebanon and stepped up strikes in the Gaza Strip, following rocket attacks against Israel launched from Lebanon on Thursday.
“The IDF will not allow the Hamas terrorist organization to operate from within Lebanon and holds the state of Lebanon responsible for every directed fire emanating from its territory,” it said in a statement. — Reuters