Katyusha hits northern Israel after Israeli-Hezbollah clashes

JERUSALEM, Jan. 8 (JTA) — Regional tensions escalated this week after a Katyusha rocket was fired from Lebanon into northern Israel. An Israeli army spokesman confirmed Wednesday’s attack, adding that it had caused no injuries or property damage. It was the second rocket attack on northern Israel since last April, when a U.S.-brokered cease-fire prohibited Israel and Iranian-supported Hezbollah gunmen from launching attacks on or from civilian locations. An earlier rocket attack in mid-December prompted Israel to file a complaint with the five-nation group monitoring the cease-fire. No group has so far claimed responsibility for this week’s rocket assault. The attack came after a week of escalating fighting in the southern Lebanon security zone. Earlier Wednesday, eight Israeli soldiers were injured in two separate incidents in Lebanon. In the first incident, three soldiers were wounded after a roadside bomb exploded. The remaining soldiers were wounded in subsequent fighting that erupted between Israel and Hezbollah gunmen. Israel has repeatedly blamed Syria, the main power broker in Lebanon, for giving the green light to Hezbollah attacks on Israeli targets.