Israeli airstrikes damage Lebanese irrigation project facilities

Shafaq News/ The Lebanese Litani River Authority announced on Friday that the "Qasimiya irrigation" project facilities were damaged due to the Israeli bombardment south of the country.

"The Israeli attack, which targeted the Tyre area at dawn today, damaged the facilities of the Qasimia irrigation project in the Qulaila, as it hit one of the ferries and part of the Qasimia irrigation canal that irrigate the orchards in the Qulaila area and beyond." The Authority said in a statement.

The Authority noted, "The technical teams have begun examination in preparation for conducting maintenance to restart the project before the 2023 irrigation season."

On Friday, the Israeli military launched airstrikes on infrastructure sites and other targets believed to belong to the Hamas group in south Lebanon.

The action came after the Israeli military detected 34 rockets launched from Lebanon towards "Israeli territory" on Thursday, causing warning sirens to be activated in the western Galilee region.

Avichay Adraee, a spokesperson for the Israeli military, said on Twitter that the army would not allow Hamas to operate from Lebanon and holds Lebanon responsible for any attacks from its territory.

The Israeli airstrikes were conducted just hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised a solid response to the rockets fired at Israel, which came after Israeli police stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound earlier in the week.

The United Nations Interim Force in South Lebanon (UNIFIL) released a statement at dawn on Friday confirming that neither side wanted war and urging both sides to calm down.

The international force deployed to separate Israel and Lebanon reported that the Israeli military had informed them of its intention to respond to the rocket fire from southern Lebanon before the airstrikes were carried out near Tyre.