Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in Arabic
Israel struck Lebanon on Saturday in retaliation for rockets targeting Israel, in the heaviest exchange of fire since the ceasefire.
ADVERTISEMENTIsrael struck Lebanon on Saturday in retaliation for rockets targeting Israel, in the heaviest exchange of fire since the ceasefire. Earlier, rockets were fired from Lebanon into Israel, for the second time since December, sparking concern about whether the fragile ceasefire with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah would hold. Israel had said on Saturday that it would respond “severely” to the attack from Lebanon early Saturday morning, when rockets were fired into northern Israel. Israel’s army said the intercepted rockets targeted the Israeli town of Metula. Hezbollah began launching rockets, drones and missiles into Israel the day afte Hamas’ attack on October 7, 2023 out of Gaza ignited the war there. The Israel-Hezbollah conflict boiled over into an all-out war in September as Israel carried out massive waves of airstrikes and killed most of the militant group’s senior leaders. The fighting killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon and displaced about 60,000 Israelis. Under the ceasefire reached in November, Israeli forces were supposed to withdraw from all Lebanese territory by late January. The deadline was then extended to Feb. 18 by agreement between Lebanon and Israel. But since then, Israel has remained in five locations in Lebanon, across from communities in northern Israel, and has carried out dozens of airstrikes on southern and eastern Lebanon, saying it attacked Hezbollah. Lebanon has appealed to the U.N. to pressure Israel to fully withdraw from the country. Israel’s Prime Minister’s office said on Saturday it instructed the army to act forcefully against dozens of targets in Lebanon, adding: “Israel will not allow any harm to its citizens and sovereignty.” Israel’s army said Saturday it was carrying out strikes on Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon. There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah. In a statement, Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam asked the Lebanese military to take all necessary measures in the south, but said the country did not want to return to war. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, said it was alarmed at the possible escalation of violence and urged all parties to avoid jeopardizing the progress made, saying further escalation could have serious consequences for the region.
