JERUSALEM, April 5: Israeli police detained 17 people during protests in Tel Aviv on Saturday, the Times of Israel reported.
On Saturday, hundreds of Israelis gathered for an anti-war rally at Theater Square in central Tel Aviv, calling on the authorities to end hostilities in Lebanon, Iran, and the Gaza Strip.
As a Sputnik correspondent reported, mounted police dispersed the protests, and clashes occurred between security forces and activists. The rally was approved by authorities, but it was held in violation of civil defense regulations, which prohibit gatherings of more than 50 people in open areas due to the threat of shelling.
According to the newspaper, police accused the demonstrators of violating an Israeli High Court ruling issued when the crowd began gathering in Tel Aviv’s Habima Square. The ruling prohibited police from dispersing any protests in the square with fewer than 600 participants.
When the number of participants at the protest exceeded the designated number, police declared it illegal and began dispersing the crowd, clashes began, and 17 protesters were detained and put on a bus near Habima, the publication reported.
The United States and Israel began striking targets in Iran on February 28. Iran is retaliating by launching strikes on Israeli territory, as well as on US military targets in the Middle East.
The escalation between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah movement began on the night of March 2, when the movement resumed rocket attacks on Israeli territory amid a sharp deterioration in the regional situation.
In response, Israel launched large-scale strikes against Lebanon, including the country’s southern regions, the Bekaa Valley, and the outskirts of Beirut. On March 16, the Israeli army officially announced the start of a ground operation in southern Lebanon.
(UNI)
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