Who hit what?
Hezbollah says its attack hit 11 Israeli military installations, including the Meron base and four sites in the occupied Golan Heights.
Israel says it hit thousands of Hezbollah rocket launchers.
Hezbollah Had Planned to Hit Tel Aviv at 5:00 a.m.
The New York Times reported Saturday evening that Hezbollah had planned to hit Tel Aviv with missiles at 5:00 a.m. Sunday morning Israel time, which is why the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a pre-dawn preemptive strike.
Israel Launches Preemptive Strike on Missile Sites in Hezbollah Before Major Terror Attack
Developing
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced early Sunday morning local time that it had launched a preemptive strike on Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon to thwart a major imminent attack by the Iran-backed terror group.
IDF: Israel Fighting in ‘Self-Defense’ Against Imminent Hezbollah Missile, Rocket Threats
Al Jizeera explains:
What you need to know about the latest attacks between Israel and Hezbollah
Hezbollah’s attack was anticipated, weeks in the making against Israel’s recent targeted killings, mounting concern of regional escalation.
Hezbollah and Israeli forces have exchanged attacks across the Lebanon-Israel border in a marked escalation of the tit-for-tat engagement they have been undertaking since October 7.
Hezbollah has denied Israel’s claims of hitting its launch sites, adding that it has successfully completed the “first phase” of its retaliatory attack on Israel.
Israel has issued security directives for its north, but otherwise, matters seem calmer with Ben Gurion airport reopening after being closed for a few hours.
Here’s everything you need to know about what happened on Sunday morning.
What exactly happened?
Israeli jets attacked southern Lebanon in the early hours of Sunday morning, saying it was a preemptive strike against Hezbollah rocket launchers that were preparing to attack Israel.
The Israeli military said it detected that Hezbollah would launch hundreds of missiles towards central Israel at 5am, Israel’s Army Radio said, so it attacked half an hour beforehand with 100 Israeli jets.
Hezbollah launched its attack on northern Israel with rockets and drones in retaliation for the killing of commander Fuad Shukr last month, the Lebanese group said.