Israel launches “preventive” airstrikes in Lebanon and Hezbollah fires hundreds of rockets into Israeli territory

Tensions between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah reached their highest point in nearly two decades on Sunday.

The Israeli military launched “preemptive strikes” on 40 areas in Lebanon, mostly in the country’s south, with around 100 aircraft firing on “thousands of rocket launchers”.

Israel’s military described the attack as a “preventive” action, alleging that Hezbollah was preparing to fire rockets into Israel.

“This morning we learned that Hezbollah is preparing to attack Israel. Together with the Minister of Defense and the Chief of the General Staff, we ordered the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to take the initiative an action to eliminate the threat”assured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the start of an urgently called meeting with the security cabinet.

Three people were killed following Israeli attacks in the southern Lebanese town of Khiam and the village of Tiri, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

Similarly, according to the same source, at least two people were injured in the attacks: a Lebanese civilian and a Syrian.

Hezbollah later said it had opened fire Hundreds of rockets hit military targets in northern IsraelIt was described as the “first phase” of a multi-pronged attack in retaliation for the killing of one of its top commanders last month. There were no reports of casualties in Israel.

After two hours of firing, Hezbollah claimed to have fired more than 320 rockets at Israel, whose government reported one soldier killed in the country’s north.

The exchange marks a significant escalation in tensions between Israel and the Iranian-backed Shiite armed group, the most serious confrontation since the war began in 2006.

Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagar justified his country’s attack.an act of self-defense,

The Israeli military said some 100 fighter jets had “attacked and destroyed thousands of Hezbollah rocket launchers.”

According to the IDF, most of Hezbollah’s launchers were aimed at northern Israel, and some were aimed at the center of the country.

Hezbollah described as “hollow” the Israeli military’s statements that it was a preemptive attack and that they managed to destroy hundreds of targets.

“They contradict the facts on the ground and they will be refuted,” he said.

A speech given this Sunday by the Lebanese group’s powerful leader, Hassan Nasrallah, has the international community closely watching and looking for someone to blame. An indication of what the group plans to do.

He claimed that the attack was successful because it was carried out as planned and has come to an end, indicating that No other major operation was being prepared, at least not yet.

The nearly hour-long speech – broadcast live on television and delivered, as usual, from an undisclosed location for security reasons – appeared to Trying to reduce tensions with Israel,

In a statement, Lebanese group claims it attacked 11 military sites in northern Israel With hundreds of Katyusha rockets.

Israel declares 48-hour state of emergency in the country as a precaution.

Hezbollah confirmed that its attack was a A response to the killing of its top commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut last month.

The group said its attack also targeted “an identified special military objective” Israel’s Iron DomeBetween other sites, and the final response will take longer.

“The punishment will be very severe and harsh,” he said.

Hezbollah also said one of its fighters was killed in the southern Lebanese town of Khiam “while performing his national and jihadist duty in defense of Lebanon and the south.”

For his part, the minister of Israel’s Foreign Affairs Minister Yisrael Katz said this Sunday that his country “does not want a full-blown war” in the region.

In a statement shared on the social network “Acting to protect our citizens and territory” against what he calls an “axis of evil” led by Iran.

The statement said Israel would “act on the basis of development at the grassroots level.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government was “committed to doing everything possible to defend Israel”.

He said, “Whoever hurts us, we hurt them back.”

Analysis by Frank Gardner

BBC security reporter

Not necessarily, but it is a serious and dangerous escalation.

Both sides, Israel and Hezbollah, claimed to have successfully completed their mission in the early hours of this morning.

Israel says it has deployed forces all around 100 aircraft to attack 40 launch bases in southern Lebanon“Thousands of Hezbollah rocket launchers targeting northern and central Israel destroyed.”

Hezbollah claims it has “completed the first phase” of an operation to avenge the death of its commander Fuad Shukr, who was killed in an Israeli attack in Beirut last month.

Hezbollah, which has spent months mapping targets and collecting information inside Israel, Indicates that it attacked 11 Israeli targets in a series of Katyusha rocket launches.

Neither side wants a full-scale war, which risks Drag both Iran and the United States.

In light of these developments, the question arises whether Israel and Hezbollah believe they have done enough so far.

And the answer is probably no.

For the Israelis, Hezbollah’s constant cross-border attacks from Lebanon are intolerable, forcing more than 60,000 civilians to flee their homes, and there are those who are calling on the government to address this situation by pushing Hezbollah north of the Litani River into Lebanon.

But in southern Lebanon, too, fear of continued Israeli attacks has forced even more people to leave their homes.

For Hezbollah, the current Israeli military operation in Gaza, where more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed, is fuelling its attacks on Israel’s northern border.

That is why diplomats, politicians and intelligence chiefs They are insisting that there must be a ceasefire agreement in Gaza,

If that conflict ends, things will calm down throughout the region.

Hezbollah – whose name means Party of God – is one Shia Islamist political party and a paramilitary group Supported by Iran, which exercises great power in Lebanon.

It has been led by Hassan Nasrallah since 1992 and has become the most powerful military force in the Arab nation.

The group has also gradually gained influence in Lebanon’s political system and has veto power in the cabinet.

Some Lebanese see the organization as a threat to the country’s stability, but Remains popular among the Lebanese Shia community who represents the .

Hezbollah officially announced its creation in 1985 by publishing an “open letter” which identified the United States and the Soviet Union as the main enemies of Islam.

Hezbollah also raised the issue in the controversial manifesto Destruction of Israel as a major objective,

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