Hamas’s military wing said on Monday it had fired multiple rockets from Lebanon into northern Israel, an apparent attempt by the group to show it remains capable of launching attacks inside Israel even as it studies its latest ceasefire proposal. In Gaza.
Hamas’s military wing, the Qassam Brigades, said in a statement that they fired “concentrated rockets” from southern Lebanon, targeting Israeli military positions in Shmona, the largest city in Israel’s Far North. The Israeli military said in a statement that most of the approximately 20 missiles launched across the border were intercepted, and the Israeli military responded by striking the source of the fire. The military said no one was injured or damaged.
Although Hamas is headquartered in Gaza, many groups Its leaders fled into exile in LebanonThe organization has a sizable local presence and operates mainly in Palestinian refugee camps. Since the Oct. 7 Hamas-led terror attack that prompted Israel to launch war in Gaza, Hamas has occasionally launched rocket attacks from Lebanese territory into northern Israel, although its ally Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has launched more rocket attacks Much more. Both groups are backed by Iran.Israel also has Targeted Hamas figures Deadly attack in Lebanon.
Hamas spokesman in Lebanon Walid al-Kilani said the attack was “minimum duty” given Israel’s ongoing attacks on Gaza. “We know Hezbollah is doing its job and more, but the battlefield requires everyone’s participation,” Mr. Kilani said.
Monday’s launch, while minor, underscores Hamas’ ability to continue threatening Israel with rockets despite more than 200 days of devastating air and ground offensives that have destroyed the group’s military capabilities in Gaza.
Mohanad Haq Ali, a Beirut-based fellow at the Carnegie Middle East Center, said the attack was likely an attempt by Hamas to send a signal that it was “still part of the fight.” He said that while this was largely symbolic, it could also be a means of applying pressure in ceasefire negotiations in Gaza.
The data is compiled by the online website rocket alert A project that uses Israeli military data to track rocket launch warnings shows that there were only 37 alerts for detected rocket launches from Gaza in April, compared with about 7,300 alerts in October when the war broke out. More than six months into the conflict, data shows a sharp drop in the number of rocket warnings coming from Gaza.
However, data shows rocket launch alerts from Lebanon have remained largely stable. Most of these have been carried out by Hezbollah, but Hamas continues to launch attacks from Lebanon with the support of Hezbollah.
Military analyst Amin Hotait, a former brigadier general in the Lebanese army, said the latest attacks were carried out by Hamas, Hezbollah and Other Iran-backed groups in the region.
Wydah Saad and Jonathan Rosen Contributed reporting.
