An attack involving more than 320 rockets and a “large number” of drones targeted several sites in Israel on Sunday, which had previously carried out “preventative” strikes.
Hezbollah announced Sunday that an attack involving more than 320 Katyusha rockets and a “large number” drone strikes targeted several sites in Israel. He said the operation was aimed at “an Israeli military target” as well as “enemy sites and barracks and Iron Dome (missile defense) platforms.”
Hezbollah later announced the end of what it called the first phase of retaliatory strikes, which it said would allow it to launch further attacks deeper into Israel. The group said all of the explosive drones it launched had hit their targets, without specifying how many. It cited 11 bases, barracks and military positions it said it had targeted in northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights.
Israeli “preventative” strikes
Earlier Israel launched a wave of airstrikes across southern Lebanon early Sunday in what it said was a preemptive attack against Hezbollah.
The Israeli military had said that Hezbollah was planning to launch a major barrage of rockets and missiles toward Israel. Shortly after, Hezbollah announced that it had launched an attack on Israeli military positions in response to the assassination of its military leader Fouad Shokr in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut last month.
Air raid sirens were heard throughout northern Israel, and Ben-Gurion International Airport diverted incoming flights and delayed takeoffs for a time. Flights resumed at 7 a.m. local time.
Israeli army spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said initial assessments had revealed “very little damage” in Israel, but that the army remained on alert. He said that about 100 Israeli planes had participated in Sunday’s strikes.
The attacks came as Egypt hosts a new round of talks aimed at ending the war between Israel and Hamas. Hezbollah has said it will stop fighting if there is a ceasefire in Gaza.
The United States is monitoring the developments
In the United States, National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said that President Joe Biden “closely followed events in Israel and Lebanon.”
“On his instructions, senior American officials communicated constantly with their Israeli counterparts.”Mr Savett added. “We will continue to support Israel’s right to defend itself and work for regional stability.”
The Pentagon said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, about Israel’s defenses against Hezbollah. Austin said “reaffirmed the United States’ unwavering commitment to defending Israel against any attack by Iran and its regional partners and proxies”according to a press release.
In recent weeks, American and European diplomats have made numerous visits to Israel and Lebanon in an attempt to stem the escalation that they fear could lead to a regional war.
Hezbollah began attacking Israel almost immediately after the start of the Gaza war, sparked by Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7. Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire almost daily, displacing tens of thousands of people across the border.