BEIRUT: Israel launched a major attack across southern Lebanon early Sunday after Hezbollah said it had launched hundreds of rockets and drones on Israeli military positions to avenge the killing of one of its top commanders last month. Israeli airstrikes have endangered tens of thousands of civilians and heightened the chances of an all-out regional war that could draw in the United States, Iran and resistance movements across the region.
Israel’s military deployed around 100 fighter jets to launch a massive bombing campaign in southern Lebanon on Sunday, marking a dramatic escalation in the region’s longstanding conflict with Hezbollah. Analysts described Israel’s massive attack on Lebanon as a potential precursor to a larger regional war.
The attacks came as Egypt hosted a new round of talks aimed at ending the Israel-Hamas war. Hezbollah has said it will halt the fighting if there is a ceasefire in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking at the start of a Cabinet meeting, said the military had eliminated “thousands of rockets that were aimed at northern Israel” and urged citizens to adhere to directives from the Home Front Command.
Air raid sirens were reported throughout northern Israel, and Israel’s Ben-Gurion International Airport closed and diverted flights for approximately an hour due to the threat of attack. Israel’s Home Front Command has raised the alert level in northern Israel and encouraged people to stay near bomb shelters.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) deployed approximately 100 fighter jets to execute the airstrikes. The air campaign, described by one analyst as the most significant exchange of fire since the 2006 Lebanon War, raises grave concerns about the possibility of an all-out conflict involving multiple regional and international actors.
Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli military spokesman, said Hezbollah had intended to hit targets in northern and central Israel. He said initial assessments found “very little damage” in Israel, but that the military remained on high alert.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said three people were killed in Israeli raids in the country’s south on Sunday. It said an “Israeli drone strike on a car in the village of Khiam” killed one person. The Amal movement, a Hezbollah ally, later announced a fighter from Khiam had been killed.
The health ministry said that “the Israeli occupation attack on the village of Tiri” killed two people, without saying whether they were fighters or civilians. It had earlier also reported two people including a Syrian man were wounded in “a series of Israeli raids” in the south.
Hezbollah said its attack involved more than 320 Katyusha rockets aimed at multiple sites in Israel and a “large number” of drones. It said the operation was targeting “a qualitative Israeli military target that will be announced later” as well as “enemy sites and barracks and Iron Dome (missile defence) platforms.”
Hezbollah later announced the end of what it said was the first stage of retaliatory strikes, which it said would allow it to launch more attacks deeper into Israel. But a later statement said, “military operations for today have been completed.”
The group said all the exploding drones it launched hit their targets, without saying how many. It listed 11 bases, barracks, and military positions that it said it targeted in northern Israel and the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. It also dismissed Israel’s claim that its preemptive strikes had succeeded in warding off a stronger Hezbollah attack.
The Lebanese group stated that these attacks were in response to the assassination of a senior commander last month, marking the “first phase” of their retaliation. Hezbollah dismissed Israeli claims of a preemptive strike, asserting that the IDF’s actions were a severe escalation.
The Associated Press reported that at least three people were killed in the Lebanese airstrikes, though there were no reported casualties in Israel. This significant escalation comes as efforts to broker a ceasefire in Gaza continue to falter. The IDF’s operations in Gaza have already resulted in several civilian casualties, including the deaths of 11 family members in Khan Younis after an airstrike hit their home.
Israel’s foreign minister, Israel Katz, has urged international support for Israel’s actions. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden is reportedly monitoring the situation closely, with senior US officials in continuous communication with their Israeli counterparts. Despite the support for Israel’s right to defend itself, critics argue that US actions, including ongoing support for Israel’s military campaigns, undermine regional stability.
The heightened violence comes at a time of high-level ceasefire negotiations. According to reports, delegations from Israel and Hamas were scheduled to meet in Cairo today, with mediation efforts involving US, Qatari, and Egyptian officials. The summit was aimed at breaking the deadlock in negotiations, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been accused of undermining these efforts with stringent demands.
Monica Marks, a professor of Middle East politics at New York University Abu Dhabi, criticized the US administration’s approach, suggesting that their claim of promoting regional stability seems incongruent with their support for Israel’s recent military actions.
