Sunday, August 25, 2024, 07:09
The Israeli army has carried out pre-emptive strikes in Lebanon after detecting preparations by the Iranian-backed Islamist group Hezbollah to launch “major attacks.”
Lebanese Hezbollah later confirmed that it had launched “more than 320” Katyusha rockets at 11 military bases in Israel.
Following the announcement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced a meeting of the Israeli security cabinet and the Defense Ministry declared a 48-hour state of emergency across the country.
In a statement in Arabic, the armed forces warned residents of southern Lebanon that they were “monitoring Hezbollah’s preparations to carry out major attacks in Israeli territory near their homes (…) We are attacking and eliminating the threat from Hezbollah.” It therefore called on residents of the area to “withdraw immediately.”
“Anyone in the areas near where Hezbollah operates must withdraw immediately to protect themselves and their families,” the statement added. “The IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) will do whatever is necessary to protect the citizens of Israel. We will update you with the latest developments in the coming hours,” it said.
Hezbollah said its attack on Israel was in response to the death of a senior Hezbollah military official in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut on July 30, and that it included “more than 320” Katyusha rockets. “The number of Katyusha rockets launched so far is more than 320 … towards enemy positions,” the Lebanese Shiite movement said. It added that the rockets targeted 11 Israeli bases and barracks and that the “first phase was concluded with complete success.”
As the conflict with Hezbollah escalates, the United States has reaffirmed that it will “continue to support Israel’s right to defend itself.”
At the direction of President Joe Biden, “senior U.S. officials have been in continuous communication with their Israeli counterparts,” National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said in a statement.
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