Cross-border attacks, both sides pause

Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said about 100 Israeli aircraft struck 270 targets, 90 percent of which were rocket launchers aimed at northern Israel.

He said they were looking into what percentage of incoming rockets and drones were intercepted but said the “vast majority” were thwarted.

Which targets were hit?

Israel and Hezbollah said they were targeting only military targets. Israel said no military targets were hit, but one navy soldier was killed and two others were wounded, either by interceptors or shrapnel. Hezbollah said two fighters and a militant from an allied group were killed.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military destroyed thousands of rockets aimed at northern Israel and shot down a drone flying toward central Israel.

“I’ll say it again – this is not the end of the story,” he added.

Air raid sirens sounded, flights diverted

Air raid sirens were reportedly sounded across northern Israel, with Israel’s international airport closed and flights diverted for about an hour. The Israeli Homeland Defense Command later lifted restrictions in most areas.

Hezbollah said its attacks involved more than 320 Katyusha rockets and a “large number” of drones fired at multiple locations in Israel.

The Israeli military said the intelligence base near Tel Aviv was not attacked. Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said initial assessments showed Israel had suffered “very little damage.”

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What are the chances of all-out war?

Sunday’s exchange of fire did not spark the long-feared war, and the superior firepower and low civilian casualties might have allowed both sides to claim some kind of victory and withdraw. But tensions remain high.

On October 7, Hamas suddenly attacked Israel, triggering the Gaza War. Shortly thereafter, Hezbollah began firing rockets and drones at Israel. Hezbollah and Hamas are allies. All supported by IranIsrael responded with air strikes, and in recent months, the two sides have been engaged in escalating near-daily exchanges of fire.

Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 500 people in Lebanon since October 8, mostly fighters from Hezbollah and other armed groups, but also more than 100 civilians and non-combatants. In northern Israel, Lebanese airstrikes have killed 23 soldiers and 26 civilians. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced on both sides of the tense border.

Israel has vowed to restore calm to the border and allow its citizens to return home. Israel says it wants to resolve the issue diplomatically through the United States and other mediators but will use force if necessary. Hezbollah officials say the group is not seeking a wider war but is ready for one.

What would total war look like?

In 2006, Israel and Hezbollah fought a month-long war that left southern Beirut and much of southern Lebanon in ruins and displaced hundreds of thousands of people on both sides.

Everyone expects future wars to be much worse.

Hezbollah has an estimated arsenal of 150,000 rockets capable of striking all of Israel. It has also developed an increasingly sophisticated fleet of drones and has been experimenting with precision-guided missiles. An all-out war could force hundreds of thousands of Israelis to flee, cripple Israel’s economy and force the Israeli military, which is still fighting in Gaza, to fight on two fronts.

Israel has vowed to respond decisively to any major Hezbollah attacks that could devastate Lebanon’s civilian infrastructure and economy, which has been mired in crisis for years. Beirut’s southern suburbs and towns and villages in southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah’s main strongholds are located, could be razed to the ground.

Israel’s ground invasion to root out Hezbollah could last for years.

The militant group is more advanced and better equipped than Hamas in Gaza, which is still resisting after 10 months of intense Israeli bombing and ground exercises.

Will the war involve other countries?

An all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah could escalate into a regional conflict.

Iran, a backer of Hezbollah, Hamas and other militant groups in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, has vowed to launch a retaliatory strike for the killing of Hamas’ top leader. Ismail HaniyehIsrael has not said whether it was involved in the explosion that rocked the Pakistani capital last month, which is widely blamed on Israel.

Since the start of the Gaza war, Iran-backed groups in the region have repeatedly attacked Israeli, American and international targets and may step up their attacks to relieve pressure on Hezbollah.

The United States, meanwhile, has pledged its unwavering support for Israel and has moved significant military assets to the Middle East in recent weeks to try to deter any retaliatory strikes from Iran or Hezbollah. USS Abraham Lincoln It was recently joined by another aircraft carrier strike group in the region.

In April, a U.S.-led coalition helped shoot down hundreds of missiles and drones fired by Iran at Israel in retaliation for an Israeli attack on Syria that killed two Iranian generals.

Tensions gradually eased as both sides downplayed any apparent Israeli counterattack against Iran.

What does this mean for Gaza?

The United States, Egypt and Qatar have spent months trying to broker a deal to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and release dozens of hostages held by Hamas. Those efforts have taken on new urgency in recent weeks as diplomats see such a deal as the best hope for easing tensions in the region.

Hezbollah has said it would stop attacks along the border if there is a ceasefire in Gaza. It is unclear whether Hezbollah and Iran will stop or reduce threatened retaliatory attacks over the killings of Shukur and Haniyeh, but neither wants to be seen as a breaker of the ceasefire.

Despite intensive diplomatic efforts, the two sides remain at loggerheads over major differences, including Israel’s demand for a permanent troop presence along two strategic corridors in Gaza, a demand rejected by Hamas and Egypt, where high-level talks were held on Sunday.