Tense Calm Follows Fighting Between Israel, Arab Militants

Fighting between Israeli troops and militants on the Lebanese border and in Gaza eased late Friday as neither side seemed eager to prolong the recent violence.

Earlier Friday, Israel launched airstrikes in Gaza and Lebanon in retaliation for rocket attacks on Israel that the government blamed on the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.

The lull in the attacks calmed fears that a big escalation of the Israel-Pa