Multiple rockets were fired from Lebanon into Israel on Thursday, according to the Israeli military said. The attack marks a major escalation amid tensions over Israeli police raids at the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem.

Reports say 34 rockets were launched from Lebanese territory into Israeli territory, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said, with the majority intercepted but six landing in Israel.

It was the largest such attack since a 2006 war between the two countries left around 1,200 Lebanese people and 165 Israelis dead.

Videos posted on social media showed rockets streaking through the skies over northern Israel, and the sounds of explosions in the distance.

The country closed its northern airspace in the wake of the barrage. No deaths were reported, and it is not yet known which group in Lebanon launched the rockets.

The United Nations condemned the attack and urged all parties to exercise maximum restraint, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

“The UN Interim Force in Lebanon remains in contact with authorities on both sides of the blue line and we urge the parties involved to liaise with our peacekeeping forces and avoid any unilateral action that could further escalate the situation”, he emphasised.

“The present situation is extremely serious. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (FINUL) calls for restraint and the avoidance of further escalation,” it said in a statement today, following rockets fired from southern Lebanon to which Israel responded. bombing this sector.

The United States expressed its “concern” about the scenes of violence in Jerusalem, State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said, adding that the US government is in regular contact with the government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority.