Could Lebanon be dragged into a neighbouring conflict?
Tensions are high following two nights of Israeli police raids at the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem earlier this week.
The Israeli military has carried out air strikes on targets belonging to the Palestinian militant group Hamas in southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.
The military has said the attacks were a response to a barrage of 34 rockets fired from Lebanon into northern Israel on Thursday, which was the biggest single attack from the country in 17 years. It has blamed the attack on Hamas, but Hamas has not claimed responsability for it.
It comes at a time of rising tensions. There has been outrage in the region at the actions of the Israeli police, who raided the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem for two nights earlier this week, triggering violent confrontations with Palestinians inside.
How worrying is the escalation between the two neighbouring countries - and could Lebanon be dragged into the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians? Raghida Dergham is the founder of the Beirut Institute think tank and a columnist.
(Photo: People check the damages in an area hit by rockets following Israeli air strikes in Al Qulaylah, on the outskirts of Tyre. Credit: Getty Images)
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