JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel launched a series of airstrikes across southern Lebanon early Sunday in what it said were preemptive strikes to thwart a larger offensive by Hezbollah, which fired back with hundreds of rockets and drones it said were in retaliation for the killing last month of one of its top commanders.
Both sides later backed down and indicated there would be no further tensions anytime soon, but the situation remained tense. The exchange came as Egypt hosted high-level talks aimed at a ceasefire. Israel-Hamas war in Gaza continues for 10 monthsDiplomats hope this will ease tensions in the region.
The Israeli military said it attacked because Hezbollah was planning a barrage of rockets and missiles, and shortly afterwards Hezbollah announced it had launched attacks on Israeli military positions. The murder of Fouad Shukr He was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut last month.
The heavy artillery battle had ended by mid-morning, with both sides saying they were only targeting military targets. At least three militants were killed in the attacks in Lebanon, but there were no reports of casualties in Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his army had cleared thousands of rockets aimed at northern Israel and shot down a drone heading toward the center of the country, a move he called another step toward changing the situation along the border.
“Again, this is not the end of the story,” he added.
Air raid warnings and flight route changes
Air raid sirens sounded across northern Israel, Israel’s international airport was closed for about an hour and flights were diverted following the threat of an attack, and Israel’s Interior Command raised the alert level across northern Israel before lifting the restrictions in most areas.
Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said Hezbollah intended to strike targets in northern and central Israel. He said initial assessments showed “very little damage” inside Israel but that the military remained on high alert. He said about 100 Israeli aircraft took part in Sunday’s strikes.
Two Hezbollah fighters and one from an allied group were killed, the group said. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said two were wounded.
Hezbollah said the attack involved more than 320 Katyusha rockets aimed at multiple Israeli locations and a “large number” of drones. It said the operation targeted “high-quality Israeli military targets that will be announced later,” as well as “enemy positions, barracks and Iron Dome (missile defence) platforms.”
Hezbollah said the attack would enable further attacks deeper into Israel, but in a later statement said “today’s military operation is completed,” denying Israel’s claim that it had thwarted a more powerful attack. Neither Israel nor Hezbollah have offered any evidence to support the claim.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was due to speak later on Sunday.
Lebanon’s caretaker Economy Minister Amin Salam said after an emergency government meeting that officials were “a little more optimistic” about easing tensions.
“We feel more secure now that both sides have confirmed that the planned operations have been completed, and we know that the negotiations in Cairo are very serious,” he said.
National Security Council spokesman Sean Savet said President Joe Biden is “closely monitoring the situation in Israel and Lebanon.”
The Pentagon said Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin discussed Israel’s defense with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General C.Q. Brown, is on a tour of the region that will take him to Israel, Egypt and Jordan.
All-out war appears to have been averted for now.
Randa Slim, a senior fellow at the Washington, D.C.-based Middle East Institute, said Sunday morning’s exchange was “still within the rules of engagement and is unlikely to lead to all-out war at this point.”
Danny Shitrinovich, an expert at the Israel Institute for National Security Studies, said Hezbollah may be “trying to maintain a balance without escalating into war.” Both sides are now hoping that their claims will be enough to claim victory and avoid a broader conflict, Shitrinovich said.
Hezbollah began its attacks on Israel soon after the war in Gaza began following Hamas’ attacks on Israel on October 7. Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging gunfire almost daily, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee on both sides of the border.
Hezbollah, which fought Israel in the summer of 2006 and reached a stalemate, Much more powerful Iran’s missile arsenal is much larger than it was at the time of the conflict. The United States and Israel estimate the group has about 150,000 rockets capable of hitting any target in Israel. The group has also developed drones and precision-guided weapons capable of evading Israeli defenses.
Israel has vowed to respond decisively to any major attack by Hezbollah. It has an extensive, multi-layered missile defense system and is backed by a U.S.-led coalition that helped shoot down hundreds of missiles and drones fired by Iran earlier this year. The U.S. military has Strengthen your power across the region in recent weeks.
Hezbollah is a close ally of Iran Warns of retaliation against Israel Israel has accused them of being behind a bombing in Tehran last month that killed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, though Israel has not said whether it was involved.
Iranian state media on Sunday trumpeted the Hezbollah attack, calling it a success, but there was no immediate comment from Iranian officials.
The United States and other mediators see a ceasefire in Gaza as key to preventing a broader conflict in the Middle East, and Hezbollah has said it would stop attacks on Israel if there was a ceasefire in Gaza.
Egypt held high-level talks in Cairo on Sunday Bridging the gap Proposals are being made for a ceasefire and the release of scores of hostages being held by Hamas. The talks are due to be attended by CIA Director William Burns and Israeli spy agency Mossad director David Barnea.
Hamas has sent a delegation to the Egyptian capital to receive briefings from Egyptian and Qatari intermediaries but is not directly involved in the negotiations.
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Associated Press writers Kareem Shehaieb in Beirut, Melanie Lydman in Tel Aviv, Israel, Samy Magdy in Cairo and Ammar Madani in Buellton, California, contributed.
