Israelis Stage Heavy Airstrikes In Lebanon And Hezbollah Launches Drone Attack On Israel

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel launched a bid of aggravated airstrikes successful confederate Lebanon early Sunday successful what it said was a pre-emptive onslaught against nan Hezbollah militant group, threatening to trigger a broader regionwide warfare that could torpedo efforts to forge a cease-fire successful Gaza.

The service said Hezbollah was readying to motorboat a dense barrage of rockets and missiles toward Israel. The Iranian-backed group had been promising to retaliate for Israel’s assassination of a apical commandant precocious past month.

Air ambush sirens were reported passim bluish Israel, and Israel’s Ben-Gurion world airdrome began diverting incoming flights and delaying takeoffs.

Soon afterwards, Hezbollah announced it had launched an onslaught connected Israel pinch a “large number of drones” arsenic an first consequence to nan sidesplitting of Fouad Shukur, a apical commandant pinch nan group, successful a onslaught successful Beirut’s confederate suburbs past month.

Hezbollah said nan onslaught was targeting “a qualitative Israeli subject target that will beryllium announced later” arsenic good arsenic “targeting a number of force sites and barracks and Iron Dome platforms.”

The onslaught came arsenic Egypt hosts a caller information of talks aimed astatine ending Israel’s warfare against Hamas, now successful its 11th month. Hezbollah has said it will halt nan fighting if location is simply a cease-fire.

In nan U.S., a spokesperson for nan National Security Council, Sean Savett, said President Joe Biden was “closely monitoring events successful Israel and Lebanon.

“At his direction, elder U.S. officials person been communicating continuously pinch their Israeli counterparts,” Savett said. “We will support supporting Israel’s correct to take sides itself, and we will support moving for location stability.”

In caller weeks, diplomats from nan U.S. and European countries person made a flurry of visits to Israel and Lebanon successful an effort to tamp down nan escalation that they fearfulness could spiral into a location war, perchance pulling successful nan U.S. and Iran.

Last week, Israel’s defense curate said he was moving much troops toward nan Lebanese separator successful anticipation of imaginable fighting pinch nan Iranian-backed group.

Israel’s subject spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said early Sunday: ”In a self-defense enactment to region these threats, nan (Israeli military) is striking panic targets successful Lebanon, from which Hezbollah was readying to motorboat their attacks connected Israeli civilians.”

“We tin spot that Hezbollah is preparing to motorboat an extended onslaught connected Israel, while endangering nan Lebanese civilians,” he added, without providing details. ”We pass nan civilians located successful nan areas wherever Hezbollah is operating to move retired of harm’s measurement instantly for their ain safety,” he added.

Lebanese media reported strikes successful nan country’s southbound without instantly providing much details. Social media footage showed what appeared to beryllium strikes successful confederate Lebanon.

Israeli media cited nan Israel Airports Authority for news of nan formation cancellations. Flight-tracking information showed astatine slightest 2 El Al flights swinging acold southbound and diverting aft nan announcement.

Hagari said “dozens” of state warplanes were striking targets successful confederate lebanon. He said aerial defenses, warships and warplanes were defending Israel’s skies and progressive successful nan operation

Hezbollah began attacking Israel almost instantly aft nan warfare pinch Hamas erupted connected Oct. 7 pinch a Hamas cross-border attack. Israel and Hezbollah person been exchanging occurrence astir daily, displacing tens of thousands of group connected some sides of nan separator and raising fears that nan fighting could escalate into all-out war. But until Sunday, some sides person been observant to debar a broader conflagration.

Hezbollah is considered overmuch much powerful than its ally, Hamas, pinch an estimated arsenal of arsenal of 150,000 rockets and missiles, including precision-guided missiles. In caller months nan group has besides stepped up its usage of drones, against which Israel is little well-equipped to defend.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s agency said he and his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, were managing nan latest cognition from subject office successful Tel Aviv. Gallant declared a “special business connected nan location front,” and Netanyahu’s Security Cabinet was group to meet later Sunday morning.

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Associated Press journalist Aamer Madhani successful Buellton, California, contributed to this report.

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