Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered on Saturday morning that "dozens of targets" would be attacked in southern Lebanon. Shortly afterwards, the Israeli military announced that strongholds, launch pads, and a command center belonging to the Iran-backed Shia militia Hezbollah had been attacked.
In the evening, news came from Israel about new air strikes.
"A second wave of attacks on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon" is being carried out, announced Israel's Defense Ministry, and said that the order came from Defense Minister Israel Katz.
The city of Tyre seemed to be the primary target for the Israeli raids.
Retaliation
The attacks followed as a retaliation for rocket fire from Lebanon into northern Israel early on Saturday.
"We cannot allow firing from Lebanon into Galilee. The Lebanese government is responsible for attacks from its territory", said Defense Minister Katz in a statement.
Two people, including a girl, were killed in the first wave of attacks.
The Shia militia Hezbollah denied being behind the rocket attacks, and claims that Israel's accusation is a pretext for continuing to attack Lebanon.
It was early on Saturday that the air raid siren in Israeli Metula, near the border with Lebanon, sounded. Shortly afterwards, the Israeli military announced that it had neutralized three rockets fired from Lebanon towards the area.
Lebanon, UN concerned
In parallel, the Lebanese army announced that it had found and dismantled three homemade rocket launch pads north of the Litani River in southern Lebanon.
Israel has attacked targets in southern and eastern Lebanon several times in the past week.
Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam warned that the country risks being drawn into a "new war" with Israel. This despite a ceasefire still holding after the agreement in November between Israel and the militant Islamist Hezbollah movement.
The UN force in Lebanon, Unifil, also saw great risks of an escalation in the conflict.
