Israel bombarded Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon on Friday after intercepting a rocket fired from its northern neighbour, the Israeli military said, though the Iranian-backed militant group denied involvement in the incident.
Israel has vowed a strong response to protect its security in what amounted to a further blow to the shaky ceasefire deal between the sides that ended a year-long war, a spillover of the [Israeli-Hamas conflict in Gaza](https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times-daily/world/2025-03-25-explained-how-many-palestinians-has-israels-gaza-offensive-killed/).
A senior Hezbollah official denied the group was involved in Friday's rocket launch, which came after a rocket salvo into northern Israel on March 22 for which the Iranian-backed group also denied responsibility.
Hezbollah said the incidents appeared to be part of what it called attempts to create pretexts for the continuation of Israeli military action in Lebanon.