Fears of an all-out conflict peaked in the Middle East as Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah launched a barrage of missiles against Israel on Sunday in retaliation for the assassination of a senior commander Fuad Shukr.
According to the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), some 210 rockets and some 20 drones were launched from Lebanon at northern Israel in Hezbollah’s attack. While the Iron Dome intercepted some projectiles, the others impacted. Many rockets also struck open areas.
The IDF simultaneously sent fighter jets to Hezbollah targets inside Lebanon, bombing thousands of targets, calling it a “preemptive operation against weaponry that would have been used in a major attack on central and northern Israel.” Thousands of Hezbollah rocket launchers were struck simultaneously by some 100 IAF fighter jets.
Israeli officials told local media that the IDF identified overnight preparations in Hezbollah’s rocket array for a major and immediate attack on Israel and sent fighter jets to remove the threat shortly before 5 a.m. local time. “The IDF identified the Hezbollah terrorist organisation preparing to fire missiles and rockets toward Israeli territory. In response to these threats, the IDF is striking terror targets in Lebanon,” the Israel Defence Forces said in a statement.
The Hezbollah said it had launched drones and more than 320 Katyusha rockets towards Israel and hit 11 military targets, terming it the first phase of its response to Shukr’s assassination. The full response would take “some time”. It also dismissed Israel’s account of the pre-emptive strikes, stating that its military operation had been completed successfully for the day.
There are reports that the militant group’s chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah will address the latest developments in a televised speech on Sunday at IST 8:30 pm.
No casualties
Soon after the pre-emptive strikes, Israel’s cabinet met at 7 am local time, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced. “We are determined to do everything possible to defend our country, to return the residents of the north safely to their homes and to continue to uphold a simple rule: Whoever harms us we harm him,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
The IDF strikes were mostly centred around Southern Lebanon but the military said it was ready to strike anywhere there was a threat.
The state also declared a state of emergency, and flights to and from Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv were suspended for around 90 minutes. Warning sirens and alerts were issued in northern Israel, where explosions were heard. The Israeli military also told people that they could go to work as long as they were able to reach air raid shelters quickly. No casualties were immediately reported in Israel.
As for Lebanon, a security source told Reuters that 40 Israeli strikes hit various towns in the country’s south. One fighter from the Hezbollah-allied Shi’ite group Amal was killed in a strike on the town of Khiam. Residents also reported waking up to the sound of planes and loud explosions of rockets.
Tension has been brewing in the region after Israel killed Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr, in retaliation for his orchestrating the rocket attack on the Golan Heights that killed 12 young people and left 40 other civilians injured. Hezbollah had since vowed revenge.
