Israeli artillery strikes Lebanon after anti-tank missile launch

(Patria) - The Israeli army says it responded with artillery fire after an anti-tank missile was launched from Lebanon, the BBC reports.

Some parts of the projectile "fell in Lebanon, and some parts fell along the fence in the town of Ghajar on Israeli territory," the statement said.

The Lebanese state news agency reported that more than 15 Israeli shells fell on the outskirts of the Lebanese villages of Kfar Shouba and Halta.

So far, no militant group has claimed responsibility for the missile launch. The United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, has called on all sides to "show restraint and avoid any action that could cause further escalation" on the border,
where tensions have risen in recent months.

In April, the Israeli army carried out airstrikes on targets it said belonged to the
Palestinian militant group Hamas in southern Lebanon after more than 30 rockets were fired from there toward Israeli territory. It was the largest such barrage from Lebanon since Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah fought a war in 2006.

UNIFIL said its peacekeepers detected explosions near al-Majidiye on Thursday shortly after 08:00 local time and that the sounds were consistent with a possible rocket launch. Around 12:00, they detected shells from Israel hitting Kafr Shouba, it added.

There are currently no reports of damage or casualties.