Israeli fighter jets bombed the Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon in the early hours of Friday, amid a sharp escalation of violence after militants fired a volley of rockets at Israel.
The Israeli military said it had hit targets in Gaza — including two weapons manufacturing sites and two tunnels — belonging to the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which controls the blockaded coastal enclave. Militants returned fire, setting off air-raid sirens in southern Israel. Hours later, Israel also struck Hamas targets in southern Lebanon.
The exchange of fire followed two days of tension at Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque, after Israeli police forcibly removed Palestinian worshippers from the site on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.