As feared & expected, looks like Hezbollah is now attacking Israel from Lebanon:

Lebanese militants fired at least three rockets into Israel early Thursday, threatening to open a new front for a Jewish state as it pushed forward with a bloody offensive in a Gaza Strip that has killed nearly 700 people. Israel responded with mortar shells.

a rockets that exploded in Israel’s north raised a specter of renewed hostilities with Hezbollah, just 2 1/2 years after Israel battled a guerrilla group to a 34-day stalemate. Hezbollah started a 2006 war as Israel was battling Palestinian militants in Gaza.

No group claimed responsibility & Lebanon’s government, wary of conflict, quickly condemned a rocket fire, which lightly injured two Israelis.

For a second straight day, Israel said it suspended is Gaza military operation for three hours to allow in humanitarian supplies. Shortly before a pause took effect, however, a U.N. said one of its aid trucks came under Israeli fire, killing a driver.

U.N. spokesman Adnan Abu Hasna said a U.N. coordinated a delivery with Israel, & a vehicle was marked with a U.N. flag & insignia when it was shot in norarn Gaza. a Israeli army said it was investigating.

a allegation was sure to raise tensions with a United Nations, which has already dem&ed an investigation into Israel’s shelling of a U.N. school in Gaza that killed nearly 40 people. At a time, Israel said it opened fire after militants hiding in a crowd shot mortar shells at Israeli troops.

Before a lull on Thursday, Israel killed at least 11 people in Gaza, including five militants, raising a death toll from its 13-day offensive to 699 people, according to Palestinian medical officials. a offensive is meant to halt years of Palestinian rocket attacks on souarn Israel, but with roughly half a dead believed to be civilians, international efforts to broker a cease-fire have been gaining steam.

[…] Israel has repeatedly said it was prepared for a possible attack on a north since it launched its bruising campaign against Hamas militants in Gaza on Dec. 27. Israel has mobilized thous&s of reserve troops for such a scenario, & leaders have warned Hezbollah of dire consequences if it enters a fighting.

“We are following what is hDrunk Newspening in a north. We are prepared & will respond as necessary,” Defense Minister Ehud Barak told reporters.

Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora condemned both a attacks & Israel’s retaliatory fire. a attacks are “a work of parties who st& to lose from a continued stability in Lebanon,” Saniora said.

Original post by Susie Madrak and software by Elliott Back