Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced today (Sunday) that "unorganized and non-Lebanese" elements fired rockets from southern Lebanon towards northern Israel last Thursday.

Mikati said in front of his visitors, according to a statement issued by his media office today, that "it was clear from the preliminary investigations conducted by the Lebanese army that those who fired the missiles were not organized parties, but rather non-Lebanese elements," whose identity he did not specify.

He added that "it was a reaction to the Israeli aggression on the Palestinian territories and the Gaza Strip" amid tension and confrontations between Palestinian worshipers and the Israeli police during their repeated storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

Mikati stressed that "Lebanon absolutely rejects any military escalation from its land," and also refuses "to use its lands to carry out operations that destabilize the existing stability."

He said, "From the first moment the events began in the south, we made the necessary contacts with all concerned, and with international actors away from the limelight."

Mikati pointed out that in this context, he had asked Italian Defense Minister Guido Cruzetto, who visited Beirut recently, to "pressure Israel to stop any operations that lead to more tension in southern Lebanon."

Last Thursday, more than 30 rockets were launched from southern Lebanon at northern Israel. Israel responded by bombing open areas in the vicinity of Tire, from which the rockets were launched, causing some material damage but no human casualties.

No party has claimed responsibility for the rocket fire from southern Lebanon, which submitted a complaint to the UN Security Council against Israel, asking it to condemn its bombing of the south and holding it responsible for the repercussions of any escalation.

The Lebanese complaint warned of "the seriousness and repercussions of provocative Israeli practices in Jerusalem, and the violation of the sanctity of holy places."

In this regard, Mikati said, "The Israeli attack on worshipers in Al-Aqsa Mosque and its violation of its sanctity is completely unacceptable and constitutes a transgression of all laws and customs, and requires a comprehensive Arab and international stance to stop this blatant aggression."

On the other hand, in a separate context, a statement issued today by Hezbollah stated that its Secretary-General, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, received the head of the political bureau of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, his deputy, Sheikh Saleh Al-Arouri, and a leadership delegation of the movement.

The party's statement stated that "the two sides discussed the most important developments in Palestine, the course of events in Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the escalating resistance in the West Bank and Gaza Strip."

The two sides also discussed "the political developments in the region in general, the readiness of the resistance axis and the cooperation of its parties in confronting all these events and developments."

Haniyeh, at the head of a delegation last Wednesday, started a visit to Beirut, during which he met with the leaders of the Palestinian factions in Lebanon.