Hezbollah(?) Rockets Hit Northern Israel, 2 Hurt

UPDATE:

Hezbollah denies it fired rockets on Israel today and blames the firings on Palestinian groups in Lebanon. Heres some of the banter from The Jerusalem Post:

According to Northern Command assessments, the salvo was probably fired by Palestinian terror groups and not by Hizbullah, but the possibility that Hizbullah instructed another group to fire at Israel could not be ruled out.

"Nothing happens in Lebanon without a green light from Hizbullah," a defense official said. "Even if it was a Palestinian group who fired the rockets, Hizbullah would have to at least have turned a blind eye to allow the rocket fire."
Hizbullah denied involvement in the attack.
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The Israeli operation in Gaza may have just taken a HUGE turn as Hezbollah rockets, injuring two Israelis, landed in northern Israel today. Hezbollah is being quiet about the whole thing but they certainly have been puffing their chest out over the Gaza operation by Israel and who knows, perhaps sugar daddy Iran decided that Hamas needed some pressure taken off of Hamas. Israel did not sit on its hands - Israeli mortars were fired into southern Lebanon. Here's some of the details from Breitbart:

Lebanese militants fired rockets into northern Israel early Thursday, threatening to open a new front for the Jewish state as it pushed forward with its offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Two people were lightly injured, and the rockets on Israel's north raised the specter of renewed hostilities with Hezbollah, just 2 1/2 years after Israel battled the guerrilla group to a 34-day stalemate. Hezbollah started the 2006 war as Israel was battling Palestinian militants in Gaza.
Lebanon's government, wary of conflict, quickly condemned the rocket fire and said it was trying to determine who was behind the attack. Israel fired mortar shells into southern Lebanon in response.

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

As for the impotent Lebanon government, they are all upset that "someone" fired those rockets into Israel and said this:

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the rocket attacks. Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora condemned both the attacks and Israel's retaliatory fire, saying the attackers were trying to undermine stability.

Well, I said it many months ago, when Lebanon was stupid enough to give Hezbollah veto power in its government and they also approved of Hezbollah's weaponry in the country, that they had just signed onto ANY Hezbollah actions. The days of Lebanon's government thinking they get a free pass from any Hezbollah aggression are over.

I want to point out a helluva opportunity here for Israel. The buildup of rockets and weaponry in Lebanon by Hezbollah has been alarming ever since the end of the 2006 War and this could give Israel a chance, by air power, to really take out significant rocket sites of Hezbollah and munition cache points. Israel would not skip a beat in Gaza as the IAF's operation is now limited there.

We have to remember that Hezbollah is a reactive force - they are not a fighting group - they are a guerilla group that is only effective on the defensive. Hezbollah's effectiveness is dependent on Israel coming to them and would be decimated trying to actually attack Israel. My best guess is Hezbollah fired these rockets as a test - they wanted to see the initial reaction by Israel. And my suggestion to Israel is that if one more rocket flies into northern Israel from Lebanon, that the IAF rains hell down on at least four Hezbollah cells in the following 2 hours.

Attack on Israel from Lebanon threatens 2nd front

JERUSALEM (AP) - Lebanese militants fired rockets into northern Israel early Thursday, threatening to open a new front for the Jewish state as it pushed forward with its offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Two people were lightly injured, and the rockets on Israel's north raised the specter of renewed hostilities with Hezbollah, just 2 1/2 years after Israel battled the guerrilla group to a 34-day stalemate. Hezbollah started the 2006 war as Israel was battling Palestinian militants in Gaza.
Lebanon's government, wary of conflict, quickly condemned the rocket fire and said it was trying to determine who was behind the attack. Israel fired mortar shells into southern Lebanon in response.
In new Gaza fighting, Israel killed at five people, including four militants, raising the death toll from its 13-day offensive to nearly 700, according to Palestinian medical officials. With roughly half the dead believed to be civilians, international efforts to broker a cease-fire have been gaining steam.
Later Thursday, Israel said it would halt military action for three hours to allow Gaza residents to stock up on supplies. The lull would enable humanitarian groups to do their work, and Israel would send aid and fuel into the territory, said Israeli military official Peter Lerner.
One of the Lebanese rockets went through the roof of a retirement home in Nahariya, about five miles from the border, and exploded in the kitchen as some 25 residents were eating breakfast in the adjacent dining hall. One resident suffered a broken leg, another bruises, apparently from slipping on the floor after emergency sprinklers came on.
"The rocket entered through the roof, hurling the water heaters into the air. It went through bedrooms upstairs and then into the kitchen. There was a serious blast," said Henry Carmelli, the home's manager.
About three hours later, air-raid sirens went off again. Residents in two northern towns reported explosions of incoming rockets, though some reports suggested there had been a false alarm. Police said they were searching for the fallen projectiles.
Israel has repeatedly said it was prepared for a possible attack on the north since it launched its bruising campaign against Hamas militants in Gaza on Dec. 27. Israel has mobilized thousands of reserve troops for such a scenario, and leaders have warned Hezbollah of dire consequences if it enters the fighting.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the rocket attacks. Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora condemned both the attacks and Israel's retaliatory fire, saying the attackers were trying to undermine stability.
Hezbollah, which did not comment, has said it does not want to draw Lebanon into a new war. Small Palestinian groups, who have rocketed Israel twice since the end of the 2006 war, have recently threatened to open a new front against Israel if the fighting in Gaza continued.