Hezbollah launches ‘first phase’ of retaliatory attacks against Israel after commander’s assassination

Lebanese group Hezbollah announced on Sunday that it had launched hundreds of rockets and drones deep into Israel as part of the "first phase" of its response to Tel Aviv's assassination of its senior commander Fouad Shukr.

The announcement came shortly after the Israeli army attacked southern Lebanon with a large-scale airstrike which it called a "preemptive strike," claiming to have prevented Hezbollah from launching an attack.

In a statement, Hezbollah said that "the first stage of our response to Shukr's assassination has been successfully completed."

"The initial phase involved targeting Israeli barracks and sites to facilitate the passage of offensive drones toward their intended targets deep within the Israeli entity," it added. "These drones have successfully reached their destinations as planned."

Hezbollah called Israeli claims of carrying out "preemptive strikes" "empty" and inconsistent with the actual situation on the ground.

According to the group, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah will refute the Israeli claims during a planned speech later on Sunday.

Hezbollah said 11 Israeli military sites were targeted, including the Meron, Zaatoun, Al-Sahl, Nafah, Yarden, and Ein Zeitim bases, as well as the Kela, UF, Ramot Naftali, Neve Ziv, and Zarura camps, all in northern Israel.

The group also claimed that the drone attack coincided with strikes on several Israeli military sites, barracks, and Iron Dome missile defense systems in northern Israel with a large number of rockets.

Earlier on Sunday, the Israeli army said it launched pre-emptive strikes in southern Lebanon to prevent the Hezbollah barrage.

Military spokesman Avichay Adraee claimed that the attack involved 100 fighter jets and was intended to prevent an impending missile and rocket attack on northern and central Israel.

"We have recently detected preparations by Hezbollah to launch rockets and missiles towards Israel. As a result, we are attacking to eliminate the threat," the army said in a statement.

Israeli Channel 12 reported that the army estimated its airstrikes on Lebanon have prevented the launch of approximately 6,000 missiles and drones into Israeli territory.

Commenting on the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that the Israeli army carried out a "strong preemptive strike" against Hezbollah, warning that this is "not the end of the story."

In a statement at the start of the weekly government meeting at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu said that "Hezbollah tried to attack the State of Israel with rockets and drones. We instructed the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) to carry out a powerful, preemptive strike to eliminate the threat."

"The IDF destroyed thousands of short-range rockets, and all of them were aimed at harming our citizens and our forces in the Galilee," he added, claiming that the Israeli army "intercepted all the drones that Hezbollah launched at strategic targets in the center of the country."

Netanyahu further stated: "Israel is hitting Hezbollah with surprising, crushing blows. Three weeks ago we eliminated its chief of staff (Fuad Shukr). Today, we foiled its attack plan."

According to an Anadolu correspondent, Israeli fighter jets simultaneously launched more than 40 airstrikes on 17 areas and towns in southern Lebanon.

Ambulances were seen rushing to some of the targeted locations.

Witnesses also reported the launch of dozens of rockets and attack drones from Lebanese territory towards Israel.

Israeli media, including Channel 12, reported that air raid sirens were sounding in several cities in northern Israel.

Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth said the Hezbollah attack was planned to target the Mossad headquarters and a military intelligence unit for electronic espionage.

"One of Hezbollah's targets in the thwarted attack was the Glilot area (north of Tel Aviv), where the Mossad headquarters and the base of Unit 8200 are located," it said.

The Israeli army said in another statement that it had launched a new wave of airstrikes against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon to "neutralize threats."

A military statement claimed that the attacks targeted Hezbollah rocket launchers and a cell in the border town of Khiam.

Yedioth Ahronoth said Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant informed his U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin by phone that Israeli airstrikes had thwarted Hezbollah's attacks.

"Minister Gallant and Secretary Austin discussed the importance of avoiding regional escalation," a defense ministry statement said.

According to Israeli media, Gallant also declared a 48-hour emergency in the country, according to Israeli media.

Since October 8, 2023, Hezbollah has been engaged in daily exchanges of fire with the Israeli army across the Lebanese-Israeli border, resulting in hundreds of casualties, mostly on the Lebanese side.

The escalation comes against the backdrop of a brutal Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, which killed over 40,400 Palestinians since last Oct. 7 after a Hamas attack.

The military campaign has reduced much of the territory to rubble and left most of the people homeless, hungry and prone to disease.