BEIRUT — Israel launched air strikes into Lebanon on Sunday, saying that it had thwarted a large-scale Hizbollah attack, while the Lebanese group said it had carried out its own raids to avenge a top commander's killing.
The Israeli military said its fighter jets had destroyed "thousands" of Hizbollah rocket launchers "aimed towards northern Israel and some were aimed towards central Israel", far from the border.
Hizbollah, the powerful Iran-backed Lebanese armed group countered that Israel was making "empty claims" of having thwarted a larger attack, and said its own operation for Sunday "was completed and accomplished".
The group has traded near-daily cross-border fire with Israeli forces throughout the Gaza war, in a campaign Hezbollah says is in support of Palestinian ally Hamas.
But fears of a wider regional conflagration soared after attacks in late July blamed on Israel killed Iran-aligned militant leaders, including Hizbollah commander Fuad Shukr, prompting vows of revenge.
Hizbollah said its fighters "began an air attack with a large number of drones" sent across the border, followed with "more than 320" Katyusha rockets targeting "enemy positions".
The Lebanese movement said its attack was an "initial response" to Shukr's killing, adding that it had "ended with total success", although the extent of the damage on the Israeli side was not immediately clear.
An Israeli military spokesman, Nadav Shoshani, said the strikes from Hizbollah were “part of a larger attack that was planned and we were able to thwart a big part of it this morning”.
The government declared a 48-hour state of emergency, but 7:00 am (4:00 GMT) flights had resumed at Israel’s main international airport after a brief suspension, the aviation authority said.
In Lebanon, the Beirut airport did not close but some airlines, including Royal Jordanian and Etihad Airways, cancelled flights.
Military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told a media briefing that the Israeli strikes were meant “to remove the threats aimed at the citizens of Israel”.
Lebanon’s health ministry reported at least three dead in Israeli strikes in the country’s south. No casualties were immediately reported in Israel.
US support
The United States, Israel’s top arms provider, said it’s military was “postured” to support its ally.
The Israel-Hamas war, triggered by Hamas’ October 7 attack, had already drawn in Iran-backed groups like Hizbollah.
The fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah has killed hundreds, mostly in Lebanon, and displaced tens of thousands of residents in both southern Lebanon and northern Israel.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his security cabinet and vowed “to do everything to... return the residents of the north safely to their homes” after more than 10 months of violence.
Attacks — largely in the Israel-Lebanon border area, but also some deeper into Lebanon — since October have killed some 605 people on the Lebanese side, mostly Hizbollah fighters, but including at least 131 civilians, according to an AFP tally.
On the Israeli side, authorities have announced the deaths of at least 23 soldiers and 26 civilians, including in the Golan Heights.
Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant’s office said he had briefed his US counterpart Lloyd Austin on the situation.
Austin “reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s defence against any attacks by Iran and its regional partners and proxies,” a Pentagon spokesman said.
Gaza talks
The deaths last month of Shukr in Beirut and — hours later — of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran ratcheted up concerns that Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip could spiral into a broader regional conflict.
In recent weeks, US and Arab diplomats have sought to head off a broader response to the killings, as mediators were making their latest push towards a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal.
A round of talks was due to be held Sunday in Cairo. An official from Netanyahu’s office told AFP that a decision would be taken later in the day about whether or not Israeli spy chiefs would attend.
On the ground in the besieged Palestinian territory, an AFP correspondent reported air strikes and artillery shelling on Gaza City, while witnesses said they saw battles in the area of Deir Al Balah, further south.
Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has killed 40,334 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry, which does not break down civilian and militant deaths. The UN rights office says most of the dead are women and children.
Palestinian fighters have also seized 251 hostages, of whom 105 remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
