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The Israeli military carried out a wave of air strikes on southern Lebanon early Sunday morning, in what it said was an attempt to prevent a “widespread attack” on Israel by the militant group Hezbollah.
In a brief statement, Israel’s chief military spokesman, Daniel Hagari, said Israel had identified preparations by the Iran-backed Hezbollah force “to fire missiles and rockets into Israeli territory” and had attacked “to eliminate these threats”.
“We can see that Hezbollah is preparing to launch a major attack on Israel,” he said. “We warn civilians in areas where Hezbollah is operating to move out of danger immediately for their own safety.”
Shortly afterwards, Hezbollah said it had begun firing on Israel in retaliation for Israel’s assassination of Fuad Shukr, one of Hezbollah’s most senior commanders, in an airstrike in Beirut last month.
Shukr’s assassination, which followed the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran the following day, prompted both Hezbollah and Iran to vow retaliation against Israel, raising concerns that the region could be sliding toward all-out conflict.
The Israeli military said about 100 jets took part in the wave of attacks at around 5am local time and that they hit “thousands” of rocket launchers in more than 40 areas in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah said it had “successfully” fired 320 Katyusha rockets at 11 military targets in northern Israel and the occupied Golan Heights, with the shells setting off air raid sirens across the region.
Hezbollah later announced the end of what it called the “first phase” of its response. It was the largest clash between the militant group and Israel since they fought a 34-day war in 2006.
In Lebanon, the state news agency said Israeli airstrikes hit a large number of targets in the south of the country, mainly areas near the border, but some targets further inland.
Images posted by local media showed smoke rising above several forested areas and several villages along the border, with some outlets reporting between 35 and 40 Israeli air strikes.
In Israel, Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv temporarily suspended flights before reopening. Israel’s emergency services raised the alert level to the highest nationwide level, but said they had no immediate reports of casualties.
The gunfight came as Egypt hosted the latest round of talks aimed at ending the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The United States and Arab states see talks to secure the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza and a ceasefire as the best chance of preventing a full-scale war in the region.
US President Joe Biden is “closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon,” according to the White House.
Biden’s Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant late Saturday night “to discuss Israel’s defense capabilities against Hezbollah attacks in Lebanon,” the Pentagon said.
In recent weeks, Washington has deployed additional warships and fighter jets to the region to deter Hezbollah and Iran, while also helping protect Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a security cabinet meeting at 7 a.m. local time, and Gallant declared a “special situation” across Israel, giving him powers to limit gatherings and restrict access to certain areas.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said Israel did not want a “full-scale war” and would act according to “developments on the ground”.
