IDF hits Hezbollah launch sites in Lebanon to thwart major attack on central, north Israel
Hundreds of rocket launchers struck simultaneously by 100 jets; targeted launchers were primed to fire at Tel Aviv at 5 a.m.; terror group fires 230 rockets and drones at Israel
Israeli fighter jets simultaneously struck hundreds of Hezbollah targets across southern Lebanon early Sunday morning, in what the military said was a preemptive operation against weaponry that was about to be used in a major attack on central and northern Israel.
Hundreds of Hezbollah rocket launchers, each with dozens of launch barrels, along with numerous drones were struck simultaneously by some 100 IAF fighter jets in the preemptive attacks, the military said.
In total, thousands of individual rocket launcher barrels and many drones were hit in the strikes, the IDF later clarified.
While central Israel, including Tel Aviv, was in the terror group’s crosshairs, the majority of the Hezbollah rocket launchers struck by the Israeli Air Force were aimed at the north, according to the IDF.
The strikes did not prevent the Iran-backed terror organization from beginning what it said was its response to the killing of its military commander Fuad Shukr in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut last month, with Hezbollah claiming it fired over 320 rockets and drones at northern Israel.
According to the IDF, some 230 rockets and some 20 drones were launched from Lebanon at northern Israel in Hezbollah’s attack. Some of the projectiles were intercepted, while others impacted, causing damage and injuries. Many rockets also struck open areas.
The Israel Defense Forces said it had identified overnight preparations in Hezbollah’s rocket array for a major and immediate attack on Israel. Fighter jets began to “remove the threat” shortly before 5 a.m.
The preemptive strikes specifically targeted the sites in southern Lebanon that would have been used in the attack, according to the IDF.
The New York Times first reported the strikes targeted launchers primed to fire in the direction of Tel Aviv at 5 a.m.
The IDF believed the attack would have been part of Hezbollah’s response to the killing of Shukr. Hezbollah itself later confirmed to have begun its response to the killing of its top commander, but did not mention the IDF’s preemptive strikes.
Hezbollah said it fired more than 320 rockets at northern Israel early Sunday morning along with several explosive-laden drones. The launches came after the IDF’s strikes.
In a statement, Hezbollah claimed to have targeted 11 military bases in northern Israel.
A video circulating online showed a Hezbollah drone impacting a highway in the north.
Footage circulating on social media shows a Hezbollah drone impacting a highway in northern Israel. pic.twitter.com/7ivd4xvlg0
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) August 25, 2024
Sirens sounded across northern Israel early Sunday morning, including in the coastal city of Acre, Katzrin in the Golan Heights, as well as numerous communities in the Galilee, including the city of Ma’alot-Tarshiha.
A woman was lightly wounded by shrapnel in Acre amid the Hezbollah attack, the Magen David Adom ambulance service said. She was taken to Bnai Zion Hospital in Haifa for treatment.
The Israel Airports Authority announced early Sunday that due to the security situation, departing flights at Ben Gurion Airport were being delayed and arrivals would be redirected to other airports. The airport reopened at 7 a.m.
MDA also said it had raised its preparedness to the highest level across the country.
IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the military was continuing to thwart Hezbollah’s attacks on the country, amid the rocket and drone fire.
“We are removing threats to the Israeli home front. Dozens of planes are now attacking targets in different areas of southern Lebanon,” Hagari said in a morning press conference.
“Hezbollah is firing rockets and drones at Israel. Our air defense systems, Navy ships and Air Force planes are protecting the country’s skies, identifying and intercepting threats, and striking anywhere in Lebanon, where it is necessary to remove threats and hit Hezbollah,” he said.
Footage posted to social media showed numerous Iron Dome interceptor missiles being launched to counter the attack from Lebanon.
Footage from the Western Galilee shows the Iron Dome engaging a Hezbollah rocket attack from Lebanon. pic.twitter.com/AKgd9horSm
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) August 25, 2024
New Home Front restrictions
The Israeli military’s Home Front Command, meanwhile, issued restrictions on the public from the Tel Aviv area and northward after Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared an emergency situation, known as a “special situation on the home front,” nationwide for 48 hours amid the escalation.
A “special situation” is a legal term used in times of emergency, granting authorities greater jurisdiction over the civilian population to streamline efforts to safeguard the population.
Following the declaration, the IDF Home Front Command issued restrictions on civilians from the Tel Aviv area northwards.
Educational activities and workplaces would be able to operate if an adequate shelter is nearby and can be reached in time, but there would be restrictions on gatherings: up to 30 people outdoors and 300 people indoors.
Beaches were also closed near the border with Lebanon.
Gallant updates Austin; security cabinet meets
Gallant also spoke with his American counterpart, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, after the IDF launched the preemptive strikes.
“We have conducted precise strikes in Lebanon in order to thwart an imminent threat against the citizens of Israel. We are closely following developments in Beirut, and we are determined to use all the means at our disposal in order to defend our citizens,” Gallant was quoted as saying in a readout from the Defense Ministry.
According to the ministry, Gallant briefed Austin on the IDF’s strikes in Lebanon, and the pair “discussed the importance of avoiding regional escalation.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who oversaw the strikes from the Kirya IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv, was convening Israel’s security cabinet, his office announced. The regularly scheduled full cabinet meeting was canceled.
White House National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said that US President Joe Biden is “closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon.”
“He has been engaged with his national security team throughout the evening,” said Savett. “At his direction, senior US officials have been communicating continuously with their Israeli counterparts. We will keep supporting Israel’s right to defend itself, and we will keep working for regional stability.”
On Saturday, Hagari said Israel was bracing for a “significant week.”
Shukr, the head of Hezbollah’s military wing, was killed in his Beirut apartment by an Israeli airstrike in July, and the country has since been bracing for a response by the terrorist organization.
The Iranians are not expected to strike alongside Hezbollah, the Ynet news site reported, despite having vowed to seek retribution for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month, which Iran attributes to Israel.
Senior Israeli officials speaking to Ynet said the Hezbollah response was expected regardless of the outcome of intensive hostage-ceasefire talks being held this week. “[Hezbollah] doesn’t really care about the Palestinians,” the officials said. “In retrospect, they could use [the negotiations] as an excuse [to attack].”
Channel 12 said Israel sent a clear warning to Hezbollah that if it attacked Tel Aviv, it will prompt a harsh Israeli response in Beirut and against “major assets” of Lebanon and Hezbollah.
The attacks came as US Air Force General Charles Q. Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, began an unannounced visit to the Middle East Saturday to discuss ways to avoid all-out regional war.
Brown began his trip in Jordan and said he will also travel to Egypt and Israel in the coming days to hear the perspectives of military leaders. Brown said the US is closely monitoring Iran’s movements and sending reinforcements with the aim of deterring Tehran.
Since October 8, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war against Hamas there.
So far, the skirmishes on the northern border have resulted in 26 civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the deaths of 19 IDF soldiers and reservists. There have also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries.
Hezbollah has named 428 members who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon, but some also in Syria. In Lebanon, another 73 operatives from other terror groups, a Lebanese soldier, and dozens of civilians have been killed.
