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Hezbollah launched hundreds of rockets and drones against Israel on Sunday in what it called the first retaliation for the killing of a senior commander, a wide-scale assault that Israel claims to have thwarted and that risks escalating into a full-blown war.
The Lebanese militant group said it targeted 11 Israeli military sites with more than 320 Katyusha rockets, with most of its projectiles launched against military bases in the Galilee region of northern Israel and the occupied Golan Heights. It added in a later statement that its military operation for Sunday was over.
Earlier in the day, Hezbollah announced the start of a large-scale attack in retaliation for the assassination of its senior commander Fouad Shukr. It said it “launched an aerial attack using a large number of drones” on Israeli territory.
The statement, the group said that Hezbollah is at its “highest level of readiness”, warning that if civilians are harmed in Lebanon, “the punishment will be severe and very harsh”.
The Israeli Ministry of Defence declared a state of emergency across the entire territory of Israel for 48 hours.
A Western diplomatic source said that Hezbollah's attempt to re-establish deterrence appears to have failed, potentially paving the way for further escalation in the long run.
Israeli reports suggest that Hezbollah initially targeted two key strategic military sites near Tel Aviv. “Had these strikes been successful, they would have represented a carefully measured response,” the source said.
However, the failure to achieve these objectives would highlight “Israel's superiority in intelligence and technology.”
Hezbollah denied Israel’s claims of thwarted attacks. “Of course, Hezbollah will adopt a narrative of victory, but it doesn't align with the reality on the ground,” the diplomatic source added. “Hezbollah will struggle to justify this outcome."
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah insisted in a speech that a significant number of drones and rockets reached their military targets and added that his group would assess the impact of the attack and decide later if a bigger retaliation is needed.
Round of strikes
About an hour before the statement, the Israeli army said it launched pre-emptive strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“A short while ago, the IDF identified the Hezbollah terrorist organisation preparing to fire missiles and rockets towards Israeli territory”, Israeli military spokesman Admiral Daniel Hagari said on Sunday.
"In a self-defence act to remove these threats, the IDF is striking terror targets in Lebanon, from which Hezbollah was planning to launch their attacks on Israeli civilians.” He added that more than 40 launch sites were attacked.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the start of the emergency national security cabinet meeting in Tel Aviv that the Israeli army has “destroyed thousands of rockets” aimed at the north of the country.
“We are determined to do everything to protect our country, return the residents of the North safely to their homes and continue to follow a simple rule: Whoever harms us – we harm them,” he added.
The Israeli PM stressed later that “what happened today is not the end of the story,” reiterating that Israel destroyed “thousands of short-range missiles” targeting the Galilee region and a “strategic base” in central Israel, believed to be the intelligence headquarters in Tel Aviv.
“We are striking Hezbollah with surprising, crushing blows. This is another step on the way to changing the situation in the north and returning our residents to their homes. And I repeat, this is not the end.”
Israeli bombing in southern Lebanon was continuing on Sunday morning after Hezbollah announced the completion of the “first stage” of its retaliation.
“We are removing threats against the Israeli home front. Dozens of IAF jets are currently striking targets in various locations in southern Lebanon,” Mr Hagari said.
The Lebanese ministry of health said that two people were killed in an Israeli raid in the town of Al-Tiri on Sunday. It did not give details on their identity and whether they were civilians or fighters. It also reported two casualties in the chain of Israeli strikes on Sunday morning: a Lebanese with minor injuries and a Syrian with moderate injuries.
Additionally, Amal, a Hezbollah-allied group, announced the death of one of its fighters, identified as Ayman Idris, killed in an Israeli strike in Khiam, south Lebanon.
On the Israeli side, a woman in the northern Israeli city of Acre was lightly wounded by shrapnel and sustained injuries to her face and limbs, the Magen David Adom ambulance service said on X. It remains unclear whether the shrapnel was from Hezbollah rockets or Israeli interceptors.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati called on Sunday for an end to the “Israeli aggression” against his country during an emergency government meeting following the recent escalation, according to the Lebanese state news agency, the National News Agency (NNA).
“During the meeting, the Prime Minister confirmed that he is holding a series of contacts with Lebanon's friends to stop the escalation,” the report said.
“He stated that what is required is to stop the Israeli aggression first and implement Resolution 1701” and added that “Lebanon's position is in support of international efforts that could lead to a ceasefire in Gaza,” according to NNA.
Israel’s international Ben Gurion airport initially cancelled all take-offs and landings for several hours, the airport authority said. Dozens of flights to and from Beirut airport were cancelled on Sunday morning according to the airport's website amid rising tensions.
Fears of a regional war have spread after the double assassination of Mr Shukr in Beirut and Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran, both attributed to Israel. Both Iran and Hezbollah had vowed retaliation.
At least than 601 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since the cross-border conflict broke out in October in parallel with Israel's war on Gaza. While most deaths have been Hezbollah members or allied fighters, at least 131 civilians have also been killed.
The Israeli authorities have announced the deaths of at least 23 soldiers and 26 civilians since the fighting began, including in the annexed Golan Heights.
The escalation in attacks on Sunday comes amid growing fears of a regional war and talks in Cairo between aimed at reaching a ceasefire deal in Gaza. Hezbollah and other Iran-backed proxy groups in the region have said they will abide by a truce if Hamas agrees to it.
“We continue to closely monitor the situation and have been very clear that the US is postured to support the defence of Israel,” Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder said following the strikes.
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said he called his Israeli counterpart “to discuss Israel’s defence” against Hezbollah attacks, and reaffirmed “the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s defence against any attacks by Iran and its regional partners and proxies.”
Meanwhile, Hamas has issued a statement praising its Lebanese ally Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi rebels pledged to launch their own attacks. A Hamas official on Thursday called on regional allies to “widen” the confrontation with Israel.
