Hezbollah, a terrorist organization supported by Iran, launched hundreds of missiles and drones into Israel early on Sunday. Meanwhile, Israel's military claimed to have targeted Lebanon with about 100 planes in order to avert a more extensive strike.
Social media footage shows Iron Dome rockets intercepting targets coming from Israel's northern neighbor, Lebanon. Local media reported missile sirens throughout northern Israel, including in many border settlements in Upper Galilee and the Golan Heights' Katzrin. There were also reports of drone sirens in other cities throughout Galilee.
Hezbollah declared in a statement that it had launched over 320 missiles and many drones carrying explosives at northern Israel in the last few hours, as Israel's sirens began to sound. Terrorists claimed that 11 military bases were the objective of their attacks. The claimed IDF airstrikes in Lebanon were not mentioned.
Both sides said they were prepared to forego further escalation for the time being, but they cautioned that there may be more strikes in the future after three deaths in Lebanon and one in Israel were verified.
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Hezbollah, declared that the attack, which was carried out "as planned" and was a response to the killing of senior commander Fuad Shukr last month. The organization was backed by Iran.
But he said, "if the result is not enough, then we retain the right to respond another time," after the organization evaluated the effects of their actions.
Although Israel's foreign minister declared that his nation was not interested in going to war, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a warning, saying, "This is not the end of the story."
Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), earlier stated in a video statement that Israel has determined Hezbollah was planning a large-scale missile and rocket strike on central Israel at five in the morning. He added around 4:30 a.m. there were about 100 IDF jets. prevented the assault by carrying out preventative airstrikes on Hezbollah launchers in Lebanon.
According to Hagari, Hezbollah was able to fire about 210 missiles and 20 drones into northern Israel.
“After extensive identification, the [Israeli Air Force] and Northern Command began proactively and broadly striking Hezbollah targets in order to remove the threats aimed at the citizens of Israel,” he said. “We are removing threats against the Israeli home front. Dozens of IAF jets are currently striking targets in various locations in southern Lebanon. We are continuing to remove threats, and to intensively strike against the Hezbollah terrorist organization.”
Hezbollah said in a later statement that Israel’s claims about its defensive strikes disrupting its planned attacks on central Israel were “empty claims that contradict the facts on the ground.”
Israeli emergency medical services and blood services provider MDA sent a statement around six in the morning. post on X that drone and missile sirens began to ring in northern Israel around five in the morning. Sunday am. It further stated that no injuries have been recorded as of yet.
Additionally, Hagari issued a warning to citizens in southern Lebanon. You are at risk since Hezbollah has been found to be firing a lot into Israeli land close to your residences. We are pursuing Hezbollah and eliminating its dangers.
The service had been put on "peak alert" twenty minutes earlier, according to an update, because of official evaluations of Israel's security status.
According to Israel Katz's office, the Israeli Defense Forces' (IDF) raids against Hezbollah in Lebanon were prompted by reports of an impending large missile and drone attack on Israel. The minister contacted a number of peers following Hezbollah's assault to solicit their support for Israel's defensive measures, emphasizing that Israel was acting in self-defense and had no interest in engaging in a larger conflict.
The Pentagon stated that the United States remains committed to the protection of Israel against strikes by Iran and its proxies. In response, the White House said, "We will keep supporting Israel's right to defend itself, and we will keep working for regional stability."
According to the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he was directing the Israeli reaction from their military headquarters in Tel Aviv, together with his minister of defense, Yoav Gallant. Gallant announced a "special situation on the home front," and Sunday morning was scheduled for a meeting of Netanyahu's Security Cabinet.
The "special situation" calls for actions like a 48-hour minimum limitation on civilian travel.
After the terrorist organization threatened to exact revenge for Shukr's death this week, Israel had stated that it expected Hezbollah to strike back. It had taken credit for the strike and claimed that it was retaliation for an earlier attack in the Israeli Golan Heights that killed twelve children. Hezbollah has refuted this accusation.
Hagari had said during a Saturday press conference that the military was poised in expectation of a “significant week.”
“Our readiness is very high in attack and defense,” he had said.
By 7 a.m. local time, Israel’s airport authority said that flights in Israel had resumed.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Charles Q. Brown of the U.S. Air Force, arrived in the Middle East on Saturday and met with military authorities in Jordan to talk about ways to prevent a crisis in the area. He will also have meetings with Israel's and Egypt's military chiefs.
Following the terrorist group Hamas's massacre in which around 1,200 Israelis were killed and 250 more were taken captive in Israel on October 7, 2023, Hezbollah continued to assault Israeli villages and military installations along the border between Lebanon and Israel. It said that because Israel had vowed to destroy Hamas, its actions were in favor of Gaza.
IDF soldiers have lost their lives in the conflict with Hezbollah to Israel's north, but there have also been several civilian casualties. More than 400 Hezbollah members have been identified as having been murdered by Israel, primarily in Lebanon but also in neighboring Syria. There have also been reports of scores of civilian deaths in Lebanon as a result of the war.
After October 7, more than 60,000 people in northern Israel were forced to flee their homes for several months due to fears that Hezbollah might conduct a cross-border assault akin to that of Hamas. They are still living in displacement inside Israel.
