Though Israel will in the near term aim for symbolic retaliation, rocket fire from Lebanon and Gaza, along with unrest across Israel and the West Bank, threaten to spark a major military escalation. On April 6, 34 rockets were fired from southern Lebanon into northern Israel, injuring two Israelis in the largest exchange of cross-border fire since the 2006 war between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. The rockets were fired in response to events within Israel, and come amid a confluence of Muslim and Jewish holidays that has exacerbated already high Israeli-Palestinian tensions in the region. On April 5, Israeli police for the second time this week cleared Palestinian protesters from the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, claiming they had brought fireworks and intended to barricade themselves inside the holy site. The clearing saw clashes break out between Palestinians and Israeli security forces, which prompted Hezbollah to warn that...
