Israel launches airstrikes on Lebanon, Hezbollah also launches attacks

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Josef Federman and Abby Sewell

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Associated Press

JERUSALEM — Israel launched a wave of air strikes on southern Lebanon early Sunday in what it called a preemptive strike against Hezbollah, which said it had fired hundreds of rockets and drones in retaliation for the killing of one of its top commanders last month.

The heavy fighting threatens to spark an all-out war involving the United States, Iran and militant groups in the region. It could also derail efforts to ceasefire in Gaza, where Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, an ally of Hezbollah, have been waging a war for more than 10 months.

The Israeli military said Hezbollah planned to fire a barrage of rockets and missiles at Israel, and soon after, Hezbollah announced attacks on Israeli military positions as an initial response to the killing of one of its founders, Fuad Shukur, in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut last month.

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The attack came as Egypt hosted a new round of talks aimed at ending the war between Israel and Hamas. Hezbollah has said it would stop fighting if there was a ceasefire in Gaza. Iran backs both groups, as well as fighters in Syria, Iraq and Yemen who could be involved in any larger conflict.

According to reports, air raid sirens were sounded throughout northern Israel, and Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport temporarily changed the routes of incoming flights and delayed takeoffs. The Israel Airports Authority said flights had resumed at 7 a.m. local time.

Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hajari said “dozens” of warplanes attacked targets in southern Lebanon. He said air defense forces, warships and warplanes were defending Israeli airspace and took part in the operation.

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Hezbollah said the attack involved more than 320 Katyusha rockets targeting multiple Israeli locations and used a “large number” of drones. The party said the operation targeted “qualified Israeli military targets (to be announced later)” as well as “enemy locations, barracks and Iron Dome (missile defense) platforms.”

Hezbollah then announced the end of what it called the first phase of retaliatory strikes, saying it would allow it to launch more attacks inside Israel. The group said all of the explosive drones it launched hit their targets, but did not specify how many. It listed 11 bases, barracks and military positions it claimed were targeting northern Israel and the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights.

Sean Savett, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said President Joe Biden is “closely monitoring the situation in Israel and Lebanon.

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“At his direction, senior U.S. officials have been in constant communication with their Israeli counterparts,” Savit said. “We will continue to support Israel’s right to self-defense and will continue to work for regional stability.”

U.S. and European diplomats have visited Israel and Lebanon in recent weeks, trying to defuse a situation they fear could escalate into a regional war.

Last week, Israel’s defense minister said he was sending more troops to the Lebanese border because of the possibility of fighting with Hezbollah.

“To neutralize these threats, the Israeli military acted in self-defense and struck terrorist targets in Lebanon, from which Hezbollah was planning to launch attacks against Israeli civilians,” military spokesman Ali Hajari said Sunday morning.

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“We can see that Hezbollah is preparing to launch a large-scale attack on Israel, endangering Lebanese civilians,” he added, without providing details. “We warn civilians in areas where Hezbollah is active to immediately evacuate the danger zone for their own safety,” he added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he and Defense Minister Yoav Galant were directing the latest operation from military headquarters in Tel Aviv. Galant declared an “exceptional situation in the country” and Netanyahu’s security cabinet was scheduled to meet later Sunday morning.

Lebanese media reported the attack in the south of the country, which appeared to have taken place in videos on social media, but did not immediately provide further details.

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The Gaza war was sparked by Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, and Hezbollah began attacking Israel almost immediately. Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire almost daily, displacing tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border. Until Sunday, both sides had carefully avoided an all-out war.

Hezbollah is believed to be far more powerful today than it was in the summer of 2006, when it fought a war with Israel. The United States and Israel estimate that Hezbollah has about 150,000 rockets capable of striking anywhere in Israel. The group has also developed drones and precision-guided munitions that can evade Israeli defenses.

Israel has one of the world’s most powerful armies and an extensive, multi-layered missile defense system, backed by a U.S.-led coalition that helped it shoot down hundreds of missiles and drones launched from Iran earlier this year. The U.S. military has been building up its presence in the region in recent weeks.

Israel has vowed to strike back forcefully in the event of an all-out war that could destroy vital civilian infrastructure, especially south of Beirut and southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah is a major stronghold. It could displace hundreds of thousands of people on both sides.

Hezbollah is a close ally of Iran, which has also threatened to retaliate for the killing of senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in a bombing in Tehran last month that was widely blamed on Israel, which has not disclosed any involvement.

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