The pro-Iranian Lebanese group Hezbollah fired several anti-tank missiles at an Israeli army base and a military ambulance, but there were no casualties, according to the Israeli army. The army said several of the missiles struck their targets and Israel fired dozens of mortars at Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.
For the past week, Israel has been bracing for a Hezbollah attack, since an Israeli airstrike that targeted what Israel said was an Iranian plot to bomb northern Israel with armed drones. That attack killed several Iranian fighters, including two members of Hezbollah, and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had threatened retaliation.
That came with several anti-tank missiles fired at northern Israel that hit an army base and a military ambulance but did not cause casualties. Hezbollah said the target was an armored personnel carrier and there were injuries.
In a news conference with the visiting president of Honduras, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looked relieved that the Hezbollah strike had not caused casualties.
He said that Israel responded to the attack and that he has ordered the army to be ready to respond to any scenario.
An army spokesman said Israel had launched more than 100 airstrikes at Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri asked the international community to intervene to stop the attacks.
Yair Golan, a former deputy chief of staff and current Knesset member, said Hezbollah did not want a war with Israel.
He said that Hezbollah has fired anti-tank missiles before and that it does not want to escalate the situation further.
The clash comes a little more than two weeks before Israelis go to the polls for the second time this year. Netanyahu was not able to form a coalition after the April election but hopes he will succeed this time.