Hamas’s navy wing mentioned on Monday that it had launched a salvo of rockets from Lebanon into northern Israel, an obvious try by the group to sign that it’s nonetheless able to putting inside Israel’s borders even because it research the newest proposal for a cease-fire in Gaza.
The Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s navy wing, mentioned in an announcement that it had focused an Israeli navy place in Kiryat Shmona, the biggest metropolis in Israel’s far north, with a “concentrated rocket barrage” from southern Lebanon. The Israeli navy mentioned in an announcement that a lot of the roughly 20 launches that crossed the border had been intercepted, and that it had responded by putting the supply of fireside. There have been no accidents or injury, the navy mentioned.
Although Hamas is predicated in Gaza, lots of its leaders are exiled in Lebanon, the place the group has a large presence and operates largely out of Palestinian refugee camps. Because the Hamas-led terror assault on Oct. 7 prompted Israel to go to conflict in Gaza, Hamas has often launched rocket assaults into northern Israel from inside Lebanon’s borders, although its ally Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group, has launched much more. Each teams are backed by Iran. Israel has additionally focused Hamas figures in Lebanon in lethal strikes.
Walid al Kilani, Hamas’s spokesman in Lebanon, mentioned the assault was “the minimal obligation” given Israel’s continued assaults in Gaza. “We all know that Hezbollah is doing its obligation and extra, however the battlefield requires everybody to take part,” Mr. Kilani mentioned.
The launches on Monday, though muted of their affect, highlighted Hamas’s persevering with means to threaten Israel with rocket hearth regardless of greater than 200 days of a devastating Israeli air and floor offensive that has decimated the group’s navy capabilities in Gaza.
Mohanad Hage Ali, a Beirut-based fellow with the Carnegie Center East Middle, mentioned the assault was seemingly an try by Hamas to sign that it was “nonetheless a part of the struggle.” Whereas it was largely symbolic, it may be a method to use strain amid the Gaza cease-fire negotiations, he mentioned.
Information compiled by the web web site Rocket Alert — which tracks warnings of rocket launches utilizing Israeli navy figures — exhibits that there have been simply 37 alerts in April in response to detected rocket hearth from Gaza, in comparison with round 7,300 in October on the onset of the conflict. Greater than six months into the battle, the info exhibits a big drop-off within the variety of warnings of rockets from Gaza.
Alerts indicating rocket hearth from Lebanon, nevertheless, have remained largely regular, the info exhibits. Most of these are launched by Hezbollah, however Hamas continues to launch assaults from Lebanon with Hezbollah’s blessing.
Amin Hoteit, a navy analyst and former brigadier normal within the Lebanese military, mentioned the newest assault was an indication of the “built-in entrance of operations” amongst Hamas, Hezbollah and different Iran-backed teams within the area.
Hwaida Saad and Jonathan Rosen contributed reporting.
