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The Israeli military carried out airstrikes in southern Lebanon early Sunday morning in what it said was an attempt to thwart a “large-scale attack” by the militant group Hezbollah against Israel.
Israel launched its offensive just before 5 a.m. local time, deploying about 100 jets to attack thousands of rocket launchers at about 40 sites in Lebanon after the military confirmed that Iran-backed Hezbollah was “preparing to launch missiles and rockets” toward Israel.
Shortly afterwards, Hezbollah said it had fired more than 300 Katyusha rockets at Israel, the largest clash between the group and Israel since the 34-day war in 2006.
Hezbollah said the bombing was retaliation for an Israeli airstrike in Beirut last month that killed one of its most senior commanders, Fuad Shukr.
Shukr’s killing was followed the following day by the assassination in Tehran of Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which prompted Hezbollah and Iran to vow revenge against Israel and heightened fears that the region was headed toward full-scale war.
Hezbollah said it had fired artillery fire at 11 military targets in northern Israel and the occupied Golan Heights, triggering air strike alerts across the region.
He added that today’s military operation was completed later. “Israeli claims of a preemptive strike, successful targets and thwarted attacks are empty claims and contradict the facts on the ground,” he said, adding that this will be refuted in a speech by the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, to be released later today.
Lebanon’s state news agency reported that Israeli airstrikes struck many targets in the south, mainly near the border, but some deep inland.
Late Sunday morning, Israel said it had launched further strikes on Hezbollah launchers in southern Lebanon “to eliminate the threat.”
Pictures circulated to local media showed smoke rising over various forested areas and villages along the border, with some media reporting 35 to 40 Israeli airstrikes.
In Israel, flights were briefly suspended at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv before it reopened. Israel’s emergency services said they had raised the alert level nationwide to the highest level but had received no immediate reports of casualties.
The military official said initial assessments showed “very little” damage to Israel. He added that most of the rockets targeted northern Israel, but some hit central areas.
The shooting came as Egypt was set to host the latest round of talks aimed at ending the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, a meeting the US and Arab nations see as their best chance to prevent a full-scale regional war.
According to the White House, U.S. President Joe Biden is “closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon.”
The Pentagon said Biden’s Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin, spoke late Saturday night with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant “to discuss Israel’s defense against attacks by Hezbollah in Lebanon.”
Washington has deployed additional warships and fighter jets to the region in recent weeks as a deterrent to Hezbollah and Iran, and to defend Israel.
Galland declared a “special situation” across Israel, giving him the power to restrict gatherings and access to certain areas, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a meeting of his security cabinet for 7 a.m.
“We are determined to do everything we can to defend our country and bring the northerners home safely,” Netanyahu said. “And we will continue to adhere to a simple rule: Whoever hurts us, we will hurt them.”
