Israel said it hit Hamas-owned targets in southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip early Friday, hours after dozens of rockets fired from southern Lebanon into Israeli territory, which the Israeli military blamed on Palestinian militants.

It was the largest rocket launch from Lebanon since 2006, according to CNN in its analysis, although no fatalities were reported, only damage to buildings, cars and the countryside.

The nighttime shootout follows a brutal Israeli police raid on the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem last week.

The situation in the region remains tense, Israel reinforces its troops near the border with Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.

On Friday, shootings broke out in the occupied West Bank, killing two sisters and seriously injuring their mother. Israel called the incident a “terrorist attack” while Hamas and Islamic Jihad called it a “heroic operation.”

The escalation of violence comes at a “sensitive time” for both Israelis and Palestinians. It is noted that we live in a period when Muslims celebrate the holy month of Ramadan, and Jews celebrate Easter.

At the same time, the Israeli government is grappling with the aftermath of massive protests against controversial judicial reform being promoted by the Netanyahu government.

But how did we get to this point, and why are recent developments causing heightened concern about the situation in the region as a whole?

Who controls what in Jerusalem?

The Al-Aqsa Mosque, known to Muslims as Al-Haram al-Sharif, is the third holiest site in Islam and at the same time the most holy site in the Jewish tradition, known to Jews as the “Temple Mount”.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque is located in the Old City, on the east side of Jerusalem, which for much of the international community is under Israeli occupation. Israel, which seized East Jerusalem in 1967, considers both East and West Jerusalem part of its “eternal capital.”

An agreement between Israel and Jordan governs Muslim and Christian shrines. However, the details of the agreement are constantly changing, emphasizes analyst Mairav ​​Zonzain, an expert on Israel and Palestine.

Why did the Israeli police raid the Al-Aqsa Mosque?

Israeli police said after Wednesday’s violent incidents that the operation was carried out to “remove rioters” who entered the place of worship with “fireworks, bats and stones” and intended to “disturb public order” and “arrest the temple.” while shouting “slogans of incitement to hatred and violence”.

“Their intention was to cause violent riots, especially against visitors to the Temple Mount during the morning hours,” a police spokesman said Thursday, referring to non-Muslims who are allowed to visit but not pray under the Israeli agreement, Jordan. However, it is noted that some members of the current Israeli government are campaigning to allow Jewish prayer at the site.

However, videos posted on social media early on Wednesday morning they depicted Israeli police attacking Muslim believers. Witnesses told CNN that the police also smashed windows, doors and threw stun grenades and rubber bullets.

The raid aroused the ire of the Arab states. while it has also been criticized by Israel’s allies, including the United States.

Although Israeli jurisdiction over East Jerusalem is not recognized by international law, and entry into the Al-Aqsa Mosque is formally prohibited by the current agreement, Israel has repeatedly tried to ban Muslim night prayers there.

While there is no clear agreement limiting nighttime worship at the mosque, an Israeli police spokesman told CNN on Saturday that “Muslims are not allowed to be on mosque grounds at night.”

Zonzain, for his part, points out that Israel claims there are “overnight ban agreements”, adding, however, that such an agreement has not been made public and that the Palestinians would hardly agree to such.

However, Muslims usually offer nightly prayers in mosques during Ramadan, a ritual known as itikaf.

“Over the years, itikaf has turned into another field of conflict,” Zonzain says, explaining that “Israel started cutting it down when it discovered that the Palestinians were using it to stir up tensions with Jewish Israelis.”

“Although it is customary to do it mostly in the last ten days of Ramadan, itikaf can be practiced at any time of the year and not limited to the holy month,” said Sheikh Ikrima Sabri, Imam of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and former Grand Mufti of Jerusalem.

In previous days, Israeli media reported that the police would prohibit non-Muslims from entering the territory during the last 10 days of Ramadan, as they had in previous years.

Meanwhile, following Wednesday’s violent incidents, the Jordanian-appointed body that manages Jerusalem’s Muslim holy sites (Eucaf) announced that the mosque “will not close its doors” to those who wish to pray throughout Ramadan, day or night.

For his part, Francesca Albanese, a UN representative, explains that, based on the agreement, Eucaf is “the only recognized body that is responsible for what is happening in the region.”

And what now;

Israeli strikes on both Gaza and Lebanon so far seem relatively limited compared to what happened in the region in 2021 and previous years.

While security threats traditionally unite Israelis to overcome any internal divisions, some feel that too much escalation could backfire on the Israeli government this time around.

Chuck Freilich, Israel’s former deputy national security adviser and senior fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), notes that while isolated tensions may distract citizens from the judicial reform dispute, any further escalation could damage Netanyahu’s image, especially if it takes place during the Easter holidays.

“These events find Netanyahu not only in the midst of internal unrest, but also in the midst of strained relations with the United States and Gulf allies,” Freilich said, adding, however, that Netanyahu is generally “cautious about the use of military force.” .

“We hope that the government will be able to achieve a reduction in tensions, but I am not sure that it will succeed,” he said, stressing that this instability in Israel may be in the interests of Hamas and Hezbollah. .”

“The escalation is likely to come at a time when Israel is deeply divided internally,” he concludes.

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