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The Israeli military is reportedly attacking “terror targets in Lebanon” after determining that Hezbollah was preparing to “fire rockets and missiles into Israeli territory.”
“Recently, the Israeli military identified the terrorist organization Hezbollah, which is preparing to fire rockets and missiles at Israeli territory,” Israel Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari said early Sunday local time.
“To avert these threats, the Israeli army, in an act of self-defense, is attacking terror targets in Lebanon from which Hezbollah planned to plan its attacks on Israeli civilians,” Hagari added.
The Israeli military said that around 200 rockets were fired from Lebanon towards Israel early on Sunday. No injuries have been reported so far. Hezbollah said the “first phase” of its attacks on Israel had “ended with complete success”. It fired 320 rockets and a drone salvo. towards Israel.
Hezbollah said it was carrying out attacks on Israel in response to the killing of top military commander Fuad Shukr last month in Beirut’s southern suburbs, a densely populated area that is also the stronghold of the Iran-backed group.
The Israeli military and Hezbollah have been trading fire for months, and cross-border hostilities have raised the risk of a regional conflagration, sparked by intense diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions.
The latest Israeli attack on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon came after the Israeli military said on Saturday it was prepared for possible retaliatory strikes by the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah or Iran for the killing of the country’s senior leaders.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has declared a “special home front situation” across the country, empowering the Israeli military to issue instructions to the population, “including restricting gatherings and closing places where this might be relevant.”
Gallant also informed US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin about the Israeli attacks in Lebanon.
US President Joseph Biden is closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon, the White House said on Saturday evening.
“He was in conversation with his national security team throughout the evening. At his direction, senior U.S. officials have been communicating continuously with their Israeli counterparts. We will continue to support Israel’s right to self-defense and remain committed to regional stability,” National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said in a statement.
Since the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip, rocket attacks on Israel by militant Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon have become almost a daily occurrence, but skirmishes are also becoming increasingly frequent.
On Friday, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for 15 attacks on Israel. Hezbollah also acknowledged the deaths of seven fighters on Friday, but did not say where or when they were killed.
According to the Israeli military, a total of 110 missiles were fired from Lebanon towards Israel on Friday, marking one of the heaviest days of cross-border shelling in recent weeks.
Meanwhile, air traffic at Tel Aviv Airport has resumed after being temporarily suspended for less than two hours on Sunday.
The latest attacks between Israel and Hezbollah come as negotiations on a ceasefire and hostage agreement in Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip continue.
Before the attacks, US officials had said talks between Israel and Hamas were at an advanced stage after months of feverish negotiations. But Sunday’s exchange of fire between Israel and Hezbollah could disrupt those talks.
Leading negotiators met in Cairo this weekend, where they are expected to discuss the remaining sticking points of a possible three-phase agreement.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
