Dozens of rockets fired from Lebanon into northern Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds an operational security meeting. Israeli media write about this with reference to the Israel Defense Forces, noting that this is the most powerful strike in recent times.
According to The Jerusalem Post, one person was injured by shrapnel. Local residents reported hearing loud explosions throughout northern Israel. The Iron Dome air defense system shot down one missile launched from Lebanese territory. The strikes occurred during the Jewish holiday of Pesach, the media emphasize.
Netanyahu's office said in a statement that the prime minister will assess the situation with law enforcement officials.
The shelling comes amid growing tensions in the Temple Mount area, on the eve of clashes were reported between armed Palestinians and Israeli police near the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. Police raided the Temple Mount early in the morning after people locked themselves in the mosque. According to the Palestinian side, the police used stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd, injuring 14 people.
Later, at least nine rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel, and air raid sirens went off in the city of Sderot. The Israeli army said five rockets were intercepted and four more landed in the open.
The situation in East Jerusalem escalated in 2021, when there were also clashes in two areas of the city – near the Temple Mount and in the Sheikh Jarrah quarter. By decision of an Israeli court, a number of Arab families are being evicted there, which causes protests from the Palestinian population.
