Israel launches ‘pre-emptive’ air strikes on Lebanon as Hezbollah fires rockets

Jerusalem/Beirut, August 25

Around 100 Israeli fighter jets carried out “pre-emptive” air strikes on Hezbollah across southern Lebanon on Sunday. The militant group soon after launched hundreds of rockets and drones in one of the biggest clashes in more than 10 months of border warfare.

Three deaths were confirmed in Lebanon and none in Israel, where damage appeared to be limited. Hezbollah indicated it was not planning further strikes yet.

Israel’s foreign minister said the country did not seek a full-scale war but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned: “This is not the end of the story.” Any major escalation in the fighting, which began in parallel with the war in Gaza, risks morphing into a regional conflagration drawing in Hezbollah-backer Iran and Israel’s main ally the US. Hezbollah said it had fired 320 Katyusha rockets towards Israel and hit 11 military targets in what it called the first phase of its retaliation for Israel’s assassination of Fuad Shukr, a senior commander, last month.

A Hezbollah official said it had delayed its retaliation to give a chance for ongoing Gaza ceasefire talks and other “political considerations”. The official said the group had calibrated it to avoid triggering a full-scale war. Israel’s military said it had foiled a much larger attack with pre-emptive airstrikes on 40 launch sites after assessing that Hezbollah was preparing to launch the barrage. It claimed to have destroyed thousands of Hezbollah rocket launcher barrels.

Netanyahu said Israel took pre-emptive action against Hezbollah, adding air defences had intercepted all drones launched against a strategic target in central Israel. Expectations of an escalation had risen since a missile strike in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights last month killed 12 youngsters and the Israeli military assassinated Shukr in Beirut in response. Defence Minister Yoav Gallant declared a state of emergency. Flights to and from Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv were suspended for around 90 minutes.

The White House said President Joe Biden was following the events. “We will keep supporting Israel’s right to defend itself, and keep working for regional stability,” a spokesperson said. The UN called on all sides to cease fire. — Agencies

Not end of story

Another step towards changing situation in the north (northern Israel) and returning our residents safely to their homes… this is not the end of the story. — Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli PM