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Smoke billows from the scene of an Israeli airstrike in Zibchin, southern Lebanon, as cross-border tensions escalate as fighting continues between Israel and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip on August 25, 2024.
Kawnat Haju | AFP | Getty Images
The Iran-backed Hezbollah group said it fired hundreds of rockets and drones into Israel on Sunday in retaliation for the assassination of a senior commander in Beirut last month, as Israel’s cabinet met to prepare a response.
The Israeli military said that shortly before the attack, Israeli warplanes struck targets in Lebanon when the military believed Hezbollah was preparing to launch an attack.
Hezbollah said it fired more than 320 Katyusha rockets into Israel, hitting 11 military targets. They said the rocket attack completed the “first phase” of their response to the assassination of senior commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut, but that a full response would take “some time.”
Expectations of escalating tensions have risen since a missile attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights last month that killed 12 young people and the Israeli military’s assassination of Shukr in Beirut.
Israel’s cabinet will meet at 7 a.m. (0400 GMT), Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz said Israel would respond to developments on the ground but was not seeking all-out war, while Defense Minister Yoav Galant said Israel would take all necessary measures to defend itself.
“We have conducted precision strikes in Lebanon to thwart imminent threats against Israeli citizens,” Galant said in a statement. “We are closely monitoring developments in Beirut and we are determined to use every means at our disposal to protect our citizens.”
On August 25, 2024, a Hezbollah drone flew over northern Israel.
Under Marey | AFP | Getty Images
An Israeli military spokesman said most of Israel’s strikes were against targets in southern Lebanon, but the military was ready to strike wherever there was a threat.
Galant declared a state of emergency and flights to and from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport were suspended for about 90 minutes, but the airport authority said normal operations were expected to resume at 7 a.m.
In northern Israel, sirens sounded and multiple explosions were heard in several areas as Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system shot down rockets from southern Lebanon. Israel’s Magen David Adom ambulance service said the country was on high alert.
The Israeli military issued a civil defense directive for central to northern Israel, restricting gatherings but allowing people to go to work as long as they can quickly reach a bomb shelter. No casualties were reported in Israel, according to the ambulance service.
Concerns about regional conflict
A Lebanese security source said Israel had launched at least 40 attacks on towns in the south of the country, one of the most intensive bombardments since hostilities began in October.
A boy runs past cars destroyed in recent Israeli attacks in Mez el Jabal, Lebanon, August 24, 2024.
Chris McGrath | Getty Images News | Getty Images
In the southern Lebanese town of Tsybukin, about 7 km (4 miles) from the border, a resident told Reuters it was the first time he had been “awakened by the sound of planes and rocket explosions before dawn prayers. It felt like the end of the world.”
Israeli Army Radio quoted defense officials as saying that the military estimated that Hezbollah was preparing to launch hundreds of missiles into central Israel at 5 a.m.
The report said about 100 Israeli warplanes thwarted a Hezbollah missile attack that took place half an hour before the attack, adding that the military assessed Hezbollah’s subsequent barrage as “improvised.”
Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said: “Currently, dozens of (Israeli Air Force) warplanes are attacking targets in many places in southern Lebanon. We are continuing to eliminate threats and strike hard against the Hezbollah terrorist organization.”
The escalation in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has raised concerns about a wider regional conflict that could draw both the United States and Iran in. The White House said President Biden is monitoring developments closely.
On August 25, 2024, a Hezbollah drone was intercepted by the Israeli Air Force over northern Israel.
Under Marey | AFP | Getty Images
“At his direction, senior U.S. officials have been in communication with their Israeli counterparts,” said Sean Savit, a spokesman for the National Security Council. “We will continue to support Israel’s right to self-defense and will continue to work for regional stability.”
The attack came as negotiators were meeting in Cairo in a last-ditch effort to reach a halt to fighting in Gaza and to repatriate Israeli and foreign hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel immediately after Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7. Since then, Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging fire, but the two sides have avoided escalation due to the raging war in the southern Gaza Strip.
That uneasy balance appeared to shift after an attack in the Golan Heights, for which Hezbollah denied responsibility, and the subsequent assassination in Beirut of one of its most senior military commanders, Shukor.
Shukr’s death in the airstrike was quickly followed by the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, leading Iran to vow revenge against Israel.
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