Hezbollah attacks Israel and the occupation army responds with intensive raids on southern Lebanon

Lebanon's Hezbollah said it had launched a large-scale airstrike on Israel, while Israel said it had launched extensive strikes in southern Lebanon to prevent a "major attack" by Hezbollah.

The party added that the air attack began towards a specific Israeli military target that will be announced later, and said that this attack comes within the framework of "the initial response to the martyrdom of Commander Fouad Shukr."

The party said that its new operation began with "an air attack with a large number of drones towards the Zionist depth and towards a qualitative Israeli military target that will be announced later."

He stressed that, at the same time, "a number of enemy sites, barracks, and Iron Dome platforms in northern occupied Palestine were targeted with a large number of missiles," and that his operations would take time, after which he would issue a detailed statement regarding their course and objectives.

In a second statement since the start of its offensive, the party said that "the number of rockets launched so far has exceeded 320 rockets towards enemy sites." It said its attacks had targeted 11 military bases and barracks that were "targeted and hit" in northern Israel and the occupied Syrian Golan, announcing the completion of the "first phase" of the response to Shukr's assassination.

Al Jazeera's correspondent reported that Israeli interceptor missiles exploded in the airspace of border villages in southern Lebanon.

Israeli media reported that Israelis were injured in the areas of Nahariya and Acre in northern Israel.

Israeli decisions

In return, Israel launched dozens of raids on areas in southern Lebanon, and the Israeli army radio reported that "100 Israeli warplanes" participated in the attack on more than 200 targets in Lebanon.

The Israeli army said it had detected a large-scale attack by Hezbollah, saying 320 rockets and drones had been fired from Lebanon towards Israel in the past hour and a half.

The Israeli army confirmed that it was decided this morning, at the end of the situation assessment, to change the defense policy of the Home Front Command.

He added that it was decided to impose partial restrictions on the northern and southern Golan Heights, the Galilee, the Jordan Valley, the Carmel, and the greater Tel Aviv area.

He also confirmed that he is working in coordination with the US Army, whose commander arrived in Jordan yesterday.

In this context, Israeli Channel 12 reported that all beaches in the Haifa area were closed to Israelis, and the Walla website quoted army sources as saying that Israel is preparing to confront an attack not only from Lebanon.

The Israeli army spokesman said that the Home Front Command will issue appropriate warnings, and that everyone must adhere to the instructions and warnings from the Home Front Command.

Channel 12 Israel confirmed that Hezbollah planned to launch about 6,000 missiles and drones towards Israel during the attack it launched at dawn today on various Israeli sites in the north and the Golan. 

Power outage in Acre

 While Hezbollah has not yet revealed the nature of the specific target it targeted, Al Jazeera's correspondent said that electricity was cut off in the coastal city of Acre and its suburbs, while the Israeli ambulance service announced raising the state of alert and deploying several crews throughout Israel in light of Hezbollah's operations.

The correspondent added that the Israeli security cabinet was called to an emergency meeting at 7:00 a.m. on Sunday.

He said that the Israeli Prime Minister and his Minister of Defense are supervising the implementation of the raids and the suspension of air traffic to and from Israel.

For his part, Hezbollah stressed that the resistance in Lebanon is at its highest level of readiness and will stand firmly and vigilantly against any Israeli transgression or aggression.

He added that if civilians were harmed, the punishment of the "Zionist enemy" would be very severe and harsh.

US support for Israel

On the other hand, the United States stressed that it "will continue to support Israel's right to defend itself," after Hezbollah's attack, and that President Joe Biden is closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon.

"At the direction of President Joe Biden, senior US officials are in regular contact with their Israeli counterparts," National Security Council spokesman Sean Savitt said in a statement, adding, "We will continue to support Israel's right to defend itself and will continue to work to maintain regional stability."

Source: Al Jazeera