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April 6 (UPI) -- Israel launched airstrikes on Gaza and Lebanon early Friday, escalating tensions in the Middle East two days after Israeli police raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque while worshippers were inside. Rockets fired from Lebanon hit Israel on Thursday, a day after Israeli police stormed the historic mosque in East Jerusalem on Wednesday, assaulting Palestinian worshippers and forcing them out to allow Israelis inside.
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The Al-Aqsa Mosque is located at the Temple Mount, the highly contested holy site for Muslims, Jews and Christians. The site is under the management of the government of Jordan and Jewish religious law prevents visiting the site.
The violence erupts as Muslims celebrate the month of Ramadan and Jews celebrate their Passover holiday.
The Israeli Air Force said early Friday that its warplanes struck Hamas targets including a shaft to an underground weapons production site, a tunnel and three weapons production locations, within the Gaza Strip -- a Palestinian-controlled enclave that borders southern Israel and the Mediterranean Sea.
Israel holds Iran-backed Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, responsible for all actions from Gaza.
"This attack constitutes an injury to the ability of the terrorist organizations Hamas to strengthen and arm itself," the Israeli Air Force said in a statement. "The terrorist organization Hamas bears responsibility for what happened and is the one who will pay the price for the security violations against the State of Israel."
Earlier Friday night, it had announced an attack on Hamas targets in southern Lebanon, targeting Hamas infrastructure within the neighboring country.
"The IDF will not allow the terrorist organization Hamas to operate from Lebanon and considers the state of Lebanon responsible for all fire form tis territory," the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested early Friday that the attacks on Gaza and Lebanon were made during a meeting of his cabinet, a coalition government of far-right political parties that was formed late last year and which marked the start of renewed violence and political unrest within its borders.
"Israel's response, tonight and later, will exact a significant price from our enemies," he tweeted.
Hours earlier he had warned that Israel "will cripple our enemies and they will pay a price for any aggression."
The Israel Defense Forces said Thursday that it had intercepted 25 rockets of 34 fired at Israel by Lebanon, five of which landed in Israeli territory.
"Following the rocket fire from Lebanon and sensitivity of recent and upcoming events, the IDF is currently conducting a calm and focused security assessment on the nature of these events," IDF international spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hect wrote on Twitter.
"We are prepared to face any threat and ready for all operational scenarios."
The missile exchange between Lebanon and Israel marks the largest conflict between the two nations since a brief war in 2006.
The Lebanese Army said in a statement that rockets launched from Lebanon were fired from near the towns of Qleileh, Al-Maaliya, and Zibqin.
"We condemn the launch of rockets from Lebanon and Gaza at Israel," State Department principal deputy spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters Thursday during a press conference.
"Our commitment to Israel's security is ironclad and we recognize Israel has a legitimate right to defend itself against all forms of aggression."
