Israel attacks southern Lebanon, Hezbollah launches retaliatory strikes

Beirut (Quds News Network)- Israel launched a series of intense airstrikes on southern Lebanon early on Sunday in what it said was a “preemptive” attack. Hezbollah said it has completed the “first phase” of the retaliatory attack on Israel with “a large number of missiles” in response to Israel’s killing of its commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut in July.
Israel’s Army Radio, citing war officials, said the military assessed that Hezbollah had been preparing to fire hundreds of missiles into central Israel in an attack planned for 5am.
Around 100 Israeli jets then foiled the missile strikes, beginning their attack half an hour beforehand, the report said.
“Most of these launchers were aimed toward northern Israel and some were aimed toward central Israel” the Israeli military said in a statement.
More than 40 launch sites were attacked, it added.
Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant declared a “special situation” and announced a 48-hour nationwide state of emergency from 6am (0300 GMT) on Sunday.
Israel’s Ben Gurion airport was temporarily closed in the early hours of the morning. The Israeli army also announced a series of restrictions in northern Israel and the occupied Golan Heights, including the closure of some beaches.
In response, Hezbollah fired more than 320 Katyusha rockets at 11 Israeli military bases and barracks, including the Meron base and four sites in the occupied Golan Heights, the group said in a statement.
Hezbollah added it targeted military bases to “facilitate the passage of drones” towards their desired targets deep inside Israel. “And the drones have passed as planned.”
The group said it has completed the “first phase” of the retaliatory attack on Israel with “a large number of missiles” in response to the Israeli military’s killing of its commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut in July, and Israel said it thwarted the attack.
A resident of the southern Lebanese town of Zibqin, some 7km (4 miles) from the border, told the Reuters news agency it was the first time he had awakened “to the sound of planes and the loud explosions of rockets – even before the dawn prayer. It felt like the apocalypse.”
Lebanon’s NNA news agency reported one person was critically injured in a drone attack in Qasimia and a later Israeli air attack killed one person in the town of Khiam.
The Israeli prime minister issued a statement claiming he instructed the Israeli military to “act proactively” after detecting Hezbollah’s preparations to attack Israel.
The military has been working to “thwart the threats” and has “destroyed thousands of rockets aimed at the north of the country”.
He added, “It’s also thwarting many other threats and is operating with great power – both in defence and on the attack.”
Meanwhile, the United States said on Sunday it would “keep supporting Israel’s right to defend itself”.
At President Joe Biden’s direction, “senior US officials have been communicating continuously with their Israeli counterparts”, US National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said in a statement.