The “first phase” of the response to the assassination of its commander Fuad Shukr last month has been completed, the Shiite militia allied with Iran announced this morning. A full response will take “some time”, it warned.
Hezbollah said it had previously hit eleven Israeli military facilities, fired more than 320 rockets and sent drones into northern Israel. According to the Israeli emergency services, there were initially no reports of injuries.
The Israeli cabinet met early in the morning to prepare a response, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned Hezbollah. Israel will do whatever is necessary to defend itself, he stressed.
Targets hit in Lebanon
Israeli warplanes had recently struck targets in Lebanon. The military had received information about an impending attack. It had discovered that Hezbollah was “preparing to fire rockets and missiles into Israeli territory.” In a statement, the army warned that Hezbollah’s actions could lead to further escalation in the region. “We have carried out precise strikes in Lebanon to counter an immediate threat to the citizens of Israel,” said Defense Minister Gallant. “We are closely following developments in Beirut and are determined to use all means at our disposal to defend our citizens.”
According to military sources, around 100 fighter jets were involved in Israel’s attacks in Lebanon. Thousands of launchers belonging to the Shiite militia Hezbollah were attacked and destroyed, Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said in an X-post. Most of them were aimed at the north of Israel, but some were also aimed at the center. The Israeli coastal metropolis of Tel Aviv is located in the center of the country.
Warning sirens in northern Israel
Warning sirens sounded in northern Israel because of the attack from Lebanon. Explosions were also heard in several areas after the Iron Dome air defense system fired rockets from southern Lebanon. The Israeli emergency services said it was on high alert throughout the country. The military issued instructions for civil defense. Gatherings were restricted, but residents can go to their workplaces as long as they are able to reach air raid shelters quickly.
Flights to and from Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv have been suspended, but according to army spokesman Daniel Hagari, air traffic should resume as scheduled from 7 a.m. local time (6 a.m. CEST).
The Defense Minister declared a state of emergency. The Foreign Ministry said it was not seeking war against Lebanon, but would act depending on developments.
According to the White House, US President Joe Biden is closely following the current escalation between Israel and Lebanon. He was in contact with his national security team during the course of Saturday evening (local time), a spokesman said. High-ranking officials of the US government are in constant contact with their Israeli counterparts on Biden’s orders.
“Support Israel’s right to self-defense”
“We will continue to support Israel’s right to self-defense and we will continue to work for stability in the region,” said Sean Savett, a spokesman for the White House National Security Council.
On July 30, Israel deliberately killed Hezbollah commander Shukr in Beirut. He was said to have been responsible for the shelling of the Golan Heights a few days earlier, which left twelve people dead.
Since the start of the Gaza war between Israel and the Islamist Hamas more than ten months ago, the Hezbollah militia from Lebanon, which is allied with Hamas, has been shelling targets in northern Israel almost every day. The Israeli military, in turn, regularly attacks targets in the neighboring country.
The USA, Egypt and Qatar, which are mediating in the Gaza war, hope that an agreement in the negotiations on a ceasefire in Gaza can also prevent an escalation of the conflict with Hezbollah and Iran and thus a conflagration in the Middle East. The talks on this are to continue on Sunday in Cairo.
