Israel launches ‘preemptive’ strikes in Lebanon as Hezbollah fires back hundreds of rockets
(CNN) — The Israeli military launched what it called “preemptive” strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon, as the Iran-backed militant group said it carried out its own strikes in response to the killing of a top commander.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said about 100 of its fighter jets “struck and destroyed thousands of Hezbollah rocket launcher barrels” across dozens of launch sites from Lebanon on Sunday. It followed these up with further attacks later in the day.
Israel said it carried out the strikes after identifying that Hezbollah was “preparing to fire missiles and rockets toward Israeli territory.”
Soon after the Israeli raids, the IDF said approximately 200 rockets had been launched from Lebanon towards Israel early Sunday, with no reports of injuries so far. Hezbollah said the “first phase” of its strikes against Israel “has ended with complete success,”claiming that it launched 320 rockets and a barrage of drones toward Israel.
Two people were killed in Israeli strikes on the village of At Tiri in Nabatiyeh in southern Lebanon, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, and a third was killed when a car was hit in the town of Khiyam.
Hezbollah-allied Shia group Amal movement announced in a statement that one of its fighters, Ayman Kamel Idriss, was killed in Al-Khiyam “while performing his national and jihad duty in defense of Lebanon and the South.”
Hezbollah said it carried out strikes towards Israel in response to the killing of top military commander Fu’ad Shukr last month in the southern suburbs of Beirut, a populous neighborhood that is also the Iran-backed group’s stronghold.
The Israeli military and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire for months, and the cross-border hostilities have raised the specter of a regional conflagration which have prompted intense diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions.
Israel’s latest strike aimed at Hezbollah targets in Lebanon came after its military said on Saturday that it was prepared for any possible retaliatory attacks by Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah or Iran for the killings of its senior leaders.
Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant has declared a “‘special situation on the home front’ across the country,” which enables the Israeli military to issue instructions to citizens, “including limiting gatherings and closing sites where it may be relevant.”
Gallant has also briefed US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on the Israeli strikes in Lebanon.
US President Joe Biden is closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon, the White House said Saturday night.
“He has been engaged with his national security team throughout the evening. At his direction, senior US officials have been communicating continuously with their Israeli counterparts. We will keep supporting Israel’s right to defend itself, and we will keep working for regional stability,” National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett said in a statement.
Rocket fire toward Israel by Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon has become a near-daily occurrence since the outbreak of war in Gaza, but there has been an increasing number of skirmishes.
On Friday, Hezbollah had claimed 15 strikes against Israel. Hezbollah also acknowledged the death of seven fighters on Friday but did not specify where or when they were killed. The IDF said a total of 110 projectiles were launched from Lebanon towards Israel on Friday, marking one of the fiercest days of cross-border fire in recent weeks.
Meanwhile, flights have resumed at Tel Aviv airport after being temporarily suspended for less than two hours on Sunday.
The latest strikes between Israel and Hezbollah come as negotiations toward a ceasefire and hostage deal in Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza continue.
Before the strikes, US officials said the talks between Israel and Hamas were at an advanced stage after months of feverish negotiations.
Despite Sunday’s strikes, an Israeli delegation is still expected to head to Cairo for negotiations that are due to resume on Sunday, an Israeli official told CNN.
Senior negotiators were expected to discuss remaining sticking points over a potential three-phase agreement.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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CNN’s Mohammed Tawfeeq, Zeena Saifi and Nadeen Ebrahim contributed to this report.
