Israel launched airstrikes in southern Lebanon early Sunday morning, while Hezbollah fired hundreds of rockets and drones.
advertisementIsrael launched airstrikes in southern Lebanon early Sunday morning, claiming it was a preemptive strike against Hezbollah, which responded by firing hundreds of rockets and drones in retaliation for the killing of one of its top commanders last month.
The intense gunfire does not appear to have sparked the long-feared war, but the situation remains tense. Meanwhile, Egypt is hosting high-level talks on Sunday to broker a ceasefire in the 10-month Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza, which diplomats hope will ease regional tensions.
The Israeli military said it attacked because Hezbollah planned to launch a large number of rockets and missiles toward Israel. Shortly after, Hezbollah announced that it had launched attacks on Israeli military bases in response to the killing of one of its founding members, Fuad Shukur, in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut last month.
By mid-morning, the exchanges appeared to have ended, with both sides saying they were targeting only military targets. The airstrikes in Lebanon killed at least three people, but no casualties were reported in Israel, although at least one home in the northern Israeli city of Acre was damaged.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking at the start of a Cabinet meeting, said the military had cleared “thousands of rockets aimed at northern Israel” and urged citizens to comply with the Homeland Defense Command’s directives.
“We are determined to do everything we can to defend our country and bring the people of the North home safely, and we will continue to adhere to a simple principle: whoever hurts us, we will hurt them,” he said.
The Palestinian-backed Quds News Network published some of the photos of the Israeli airstrikes on X.
The Israeli military said Hezbollah planned to launch a large number of rockets and missiles toward Israel. Soon after, Hezbollah announced that it had launched attacks on Israeli military bases in response to the killing of one of its founders, Fuad Shukur, in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut last month.
Israel remains tense
Air raid warnings were sounded across northern Israel, and Israel’s Ben-Gurion International Airport was closed and flights were diverted for about an hour due to the threat of attack. Israel’s Home Front Command raised the alert level in northern Israel and advised people to stay near bunkers.
Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said Hezbollah intended to strike targets in northern and central Israel. He said initial assessments showed “very little damage” to Israel, but the military remained on high alert. He said about 100 Israeli aircraft took part in Sunday’s airstrikes.
At least 2 killed in southern Lebanon airstrikes
The Lebanese Health Ministry reported that two people were killed and two wounded in an airstrike in southern Lebanon. Amal said a fighter from the Amal group, which is allied with Hezbollah, was killed in the vehicle strike.
Hezbollah said it fired more than 320 Katyusha rockets and a “large number” of drones at various locations in Israel. The operation targeted “high-quality Israeli military targets, the exact number of which will be announced later,” as well as “enemy installations, barracks and Iron Dome (missile defense) platforms,” it said.
Hezbollah later announced that it had completed what it said was the first phase of retaliatory strikes, allowing it to launch more attacks deep into Israel. But a later statement said, “Today’s military operation is complete.”
The group said all of the explosive drones it fired hit their targets, but did not give a number. It listed 11 bases, barracks and military facilities it said it targeted in northern Israel and the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. It also dismissed claims that Israel had thwarted Hezbollah’s more powerful attacks. Hezbollah has not provided evidence for the claims.
On Saturday afternoon, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah made a televised speech promising to attack Israel again if rocket attacks were “unsatisfactory.”
advertisementHe also described the main target as a “military base in the Glirot area” and said Israel was not disclosing the scope of Hezbollah’s attack.
Israel and Hezbollah exchanged fire almost daily, displacing tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border. Until Sunday, both sides were careful to avoid all-out war.
Hezbollah, which was locked in a standoff with Israel in the summer of 2006, is believed to have grown much stronger since that conflict.
The United States said it was monitoring the situation.
In the United States, National Security Council spokesman Sean Sabet said President Joe Biden was “closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon.”
advertisement“At his direction, senior U.S. officials have been in constant communication with their Israeli counterparts,” Sabet added. “We will continue to support Israel’s right to self-defense and will continue to work to ensure regional stability.”
The Pentagon said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Galant, about Israel’s defense against Hezbollah. Austin “reaffirmed the ironclad commitment of the United States to defend Israel against attacks by Iran and its regional partners and proxies,” the statement said.
Randa Slim, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C., said Sunday morning’s exchanges were “still within the rules of engagement and unlikely to escalate into full-scale war at this point.”
In recent weeks, diplomats from the United States and European countries have visited Israel and Lebanon in an attempt to defuse a conflict that could escalate into a regional war.
advertisementLast week, Israel’s defense minister said he expected a possible fight with Hezbollah and would move more troops to the Lebanese border.
Israeli military spokesman Maj. Gen. Daniel Hagari said the army attacked in self-defense.
“We know that Hezbollah is preparing a wide range of attacks against Israel and is putting Lebanese civilians at risk,” he added, without giving details. “We warn civilians in areas where Hezbollah operates to immediately evacuate to their safety,” he added.
The United States and Israel estimate that Israel has about 150,000 rockets, capable of striking anywhere in Israel.
advertisementThe group has developed precision-guided weapons as well as drones that can evade Israeli defenses.
Israel has one of the world’s best militaries and an extensive multi-level missile defense system, supported by a U.S.-led coalition that helped shoot down hundreds of missiles and drones launched from Iran earlier this year. The U.S. military has been increasing its presence across the region in recent weeks.
Israel has vowed an overwhelming response in the event of a full-scale war, which would likely destroy vital civilian infrastructure, especially in southern Beirut and southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah has its main stronghold. The war would likely displace hundreds of thousands of people on both sides.
Hezbollah is a close ally of Iran, and Iran has threatened to retaliate after a bombing in Tehran last month killed senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. The attack is widely believed to have been carried out by Israel, but Israel has not said whether it was involved.
advertisementThe group began attacking Israel shortly after the war in the Gaza Strip began, following Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7.
