Hamas says 'individuals' behind rocket fire at Israel from Lebanon

Palestinian militant group Hamas has blamed "individual" actors for firing rockets towards Israel from Lebanon after it handed over several people, saying it was committed to a Hezbollah-Israel ceasefire.

Hamas claimed attacks on Israel from Lebanon during more than a year of hostilities between Israel and the Palestinian group's Lebanese ally Hezbollah that erupted over the Gaza war and largely ended with a November truce.

The Lebanese army said Hamas has handed over three suspects after unclaimed March rocket launches at Israel, after the country's top security body last week warned the group against using Lebanon for attacks on Israel.

"The rocket launching incident was an individual act carried out by a number of young people... in reaction to the genocidal war and massacres committed by the Zionist enemy in Gaza," a statement from Hamas representative in Lebanon Ahmad Abdulhadi said.

"Hamas did not know about this in advance and did not decide to do this."

The statement added that Hamas is "fully committed to the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon, and the movement's leadership has informed all Lebanese authorities of this".

After the rocket fire on March 22 and 28, Israel responded by bombing south Lebanon and Beirut's southern suburbs, strongholds of the Iran-backed Hezbollah which denied involvement in the launches.

Abdulhadi said that after the government requested "the handover of the four wanted individuals, the movement responded positively, and we delivered three of them".

Coordination is ongoing with the authorities "to complete the remaining steps", he added.

Last month, the army said it had arrested several Lebanese and Palestinian suspects in connection with the rocket attacks, and a Lebanese security source told AFP three were Hamas members.

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas is due in Lebanon on May 21 to discuss extending Beirut's authority to Palestinian camps, which have long been controlled by Palestinian armed factions.

The November 27 truce between Israel and Hezbollah was based on a U.N. Security Council resolution that calls for the disarmament of all non-state groups.

Abdulhadi said Lebanese authorities had not informed Hamas "of any request regarding Palestinian weapons".

Under the ceasefire, Hezbollah was to pull back its fighters north of Lebanon's Litani River.

Israel was to withdraw its forces from Lebanon, but it has kept troops in five areas in the south that it deems "strategic".

Lebanese soldiers have been deploying as the Israeli army has withdrawn, and have also been dismantling Hezbollah infrastructure.

Israel's military still strikes Lebanon despite the truce, mainly targeting Hezbollah operatives and infrastructure but also Hamas members or other allies.