The Israeli military says its warplanes are attacking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon after detecting rocket and missile fire into Israel.
“In self-defense to eliminate these threats, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) is striking terrorist targets,” said IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari.
Israel said Lebanese residents had been warned to immediately leave the area where Hezbollah, a Shia Muslim group backed by Iran, is operating.
Shortly afterwards, Hezbollah said it had launched a large-scale drone attack on Israel in response to the assassination of the group’s senior military commander last month.
Sirens warning of incoming rockets sounded across northern Israel early Sunday morning.
There are no reports of injuries at this time.
In a statement, the IDF said Hezbollah “just launched more than 150 projectiles from Lebanon towards Israeli territory”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was convening an emergency meeting of his security cabinet.
Netanyahu’s office said the prime minister and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant were “managing the situation” from the IDF military base in Tel Aviv.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah claimed that the drone attack on Israel was in response to “the brutal Zionist invasion, which led to the martyrdom of… Fuad Shukr”.
Senior Shia military commander killed in Israeli airstrike in the Lebanese capital Beirut in July.
Israel has been fighting the Lebanon-based militant group since its war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip began last October.
Hamas, like Hezbollah, is also backed by Iran.
