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Israel’s military launched a series of strikes in southern Lebanon in the early hours of Sunday, in what it said was an attempt to foil an “extensive attack” on Israel by the militant group Hizbollah.
In a brief statement, the chief spokesman for Israel’s military, Daniel Hagari said Israel had identified preparations by Hizbollah “to fire missiles and rockets towards Israeli territory”, and had struck “to remove these threats”.
“We can see that Hizbollah is preparing to launch an extensive attack on Israel,” he said. “We warn the civilians located in the areas where Hizbollah is operating, to move out of harm’s way immediately for their own safety.”
Soon afterwards, Hizbollah said that it had begun firing at Israel in retaliation for Israel’s assassination last month of Fuad Shukr, one of its most senior commanders, in an air strike in Beirut.
The killing of Shukr, which was followed the next day by the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’s political leader, in Tehran prompted both Hizbollah and Iran to pledge retaliation against Israel, fuelling fears that the region could be sliding towards an all-out conflict.
Soon after Israel launched its strikes, air raid sirens began sounding in northern Israel, and the paramedic service raised its alert status to its highest level across the country. Ben Gurion international airport in Tel Aviv suspended flights until 10am local time.
The exchange of fire came as Egypt hosts the latest round of talks aimed at ending the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The US and Arab states see the talks as the best chance of preventing a full-on regional war.
US President Joe Biden is “closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon”, according to the White House.
National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett said that senior US officials have been in continuous communication with their Israeli counterparts at Biden’s direction. The US “will keep supporting Israel’s right to defend itself, and will keep working for regional stability”, Savett said.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would convene a security cabinet meeting, and defence minister Yoav Gallant declared a “special situation” across Israel, which gives him powers to restrict gatherings and limit access to certain areas.
Israeli forces and Hizbollah have been exchanging almost daily fire since Hizbollah began firing rockets at Israel in solidarity with Hamas, the day after the Palestinian militant group launched its October 7 attack on Israel.
Although the exchanges of fire have displaced tens of thousands of people and caused casualties on both sides of the border, Israel and Hizbollah have so far avoided being drawn into an all-out war.
But Israeli officials have repeatedly said they are prepared to take military action against Hizbollah, one of the world’s most heavily armed non-state actors, if they are unable to reach a deal to return displaced Israelis to their homes in the north.
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