The Israeli army said it launched artillery towards Lebanon on Monday in response to rocket fire from the neighbouring country that failed to hit the Jewish state. "Six failed launch attempts were identified from Lebanon that did not cross into Israeli territory," the army said in a statement. "Artillery forces fired toward the sources of the launches." A Lebanese military source told AFP three rockets had been fired from Southern Lebanon towards Israel. "Three Grad-type rockets were fired from the Shebaa Farms area," not far from the Israeli border, the Lebanese military source said. Protests have been held in southern Lebanon -- a bastion of Israeli foe Hezbollah -- against an Israeli air campaign targeting armed Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip. Over 200 people have been killed in the exchange of fire between armed groups in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian enclave controlled by Islamists Hamas, and the Israeli army. Israel launched air strikes last Monday in response to rocket fire from Hamas towards Jerusalem after violent police action at the flashpoint al-Aqsa Mosque compound. A Lebanese protester, a member of Hezbollah, was killed by Israeli fire last week while protesting at the Lebanese border. That came after a number of young demonstrators had tried to cross into the northern Israeli border town of Metula, according to Lebanese state media. Last Thursday, three rockets were fired from southern Lebanon near the Palestinian refugee camp of Rashidiyeh toward Israel, a Lebanese military source said. Israel's army said those rockets had landed in the sea. dar/sw/dwo