New Rocket Launches Put Israel & Hezbollah On Brink Of War Once Again

Is the Hezbollah-Israel ceasefire now also on the brink of collapse? Israel increasingly looks to be returning to war on multiple-fronts, as had previously been the case for well over a year in the wake of Oct.7.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced Saturday that it intercepted three projectiles fired from Lebanon, after six total were fired, with the other three having fallen short inside Lebanon.

The IDF responded with "a wave of airstrikes on dozens of Hezbollah rocket launchers" and a Hezbollah command center, a statement indicated.

There were no reports of damage or injuries inside Israel, but the incident is the first major exchange of fire episode in months, and could mark the beginning of a slide toward a renewed Hezbollah war.

But Hezbollah in a statement denied it was behind the fresh launches out of southern Lebanon. In a statement, the Iran-backed paramilitary group said it "reiterates its commitment to the ceasefire agreement and stands behind the Lebanese state in addressing this dangerous Zionist escalation against Lebanon."

Israeli warplanes were seen as active over parts of Lebanon, as has been the pattern for many months, also amid airstrikes into Syria. BBC has underscored:

Hezbollah, the main armed group active in Lebanon, said it had not carried out the attack, and that it remained committed to the ceasefire that ended 14 months of conflict in Lebanon.

This is the worst violence since the fragile ceasefire, brokered by the US and France, came into effect.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam warned warned that Lebanon is on the brink of being drawn into a "new war."

"All security and military measures must be taken to show that Lebanon decides on matters of war and peace," Salam said.

"Salam warned of renewed military operations on the southern border, because of the risks they carry dragging the country into a new war, which will bring woes to Lebanon and the Lebanese people," a statement read. The country is still in a painful rebuilding process, after Israeli airstrikes demolished whole neighborhoods primarily in south Beirut.