Israel says sound of air-raid sirens from Lebanon was ‘false alarm’

By Anadolu staff

JERUSALEM (AA) - Israel said Wednesday that the sound of air-raid sirens following reports of an aircraft infiltration from southern Lebanon was a “false alarm.”

“There are no launches at this point from Lebanon. There are no alerts,” army spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a statement.

“This has been an error that we are looking into,” he said. “We will check whether it’s a technical malfunction or a human error.”

The Israeli Home Front Command said earlier that aircraft from southern Lebanon had infiltrated Avivim in Upper Galilee in northern Israel.

Sirens blared in large areas near the border with Lebanon and the Israeli army instructed residents in the north to stay in shelters until further notice.

The incident came amid rising tensions along the Israeli-Lebanese border in the wake of an exchange of fire between Israeli forces and armed groups based in Lebanon.

The Israeli army launched a sustained and forceful military campaign against the Gaza Strip in response to a military offensive by Palestinian group Hamas in Israeli territories.

The conflict began when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood -- a multi-pronged surprise attack including a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel via land, sea and air.

Hamas said it was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and Israeli settlers’ growing violence against Palestinians.

The Israeli military launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets within the Gaza Strip in response.
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That response has extended into cutting water and electricity supplies to Gaza, further worsening the living conditions in an area that has reeled under a crippling siege since 2007.

More than 2,300 people have been killed in the current bout of violence, including at least 1,100 Palestinians and 1,200 Israelis.