The Israeli army announced on Sunday that it had opened artillery fire on an area in Lebanon where cross-border mortar fire was coming from, Reuters reported.

“Israel Defense Forces artillery is now hitting the area in Lebanon where the shooting happened,” she said.

“The IDF has taken steps to prepare for such a possibility and will continue to operate in all regions and at all times to ensure the safety of Israeli civilians,” the Israeli military added.

Rockets fired from Lebanese territory hit Israeli military positions in the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms early on Sunday, three security sources told Reuters.

Sources reported that Israeli artillery struck the territory of Lebanon.

On Saturday, Hamas fired thousands of rockets into Israel and special forces crossed the border, with some voices, including a minister in Netanyahu’s government, warning that this “could only be the beginning” and that a “much more painful blow from the north” could follow. “.

“There is a reasonable possibility that the incident in the south is just a distraction from the war in the north,” the Israeli minister told the online publication Ynet.

“It is possible that the Israel Defense Forces (Israeli army) will be drawn south to deliver a stronger and more painful blow to the north,” he added.

“What is happening looks like a strategic event planned and directed by Iran. This is a situation that Israel has not been in for decades,” the Israeli minister also said.

The reference to the “north” refers to Lebanon, home to the Hezbollah group, which released a statement on Saturday saying it was closely monitoring the situation in Gaza and was in “direct contact with the Palestinian resistance leadership.” .

Hezbollah is a Lebanese Shiite political and militant group that has fought in several conflicts with Israel. The group also has close ties to Iran.