The Middle East conflict has escalated dramatically, with Israel launching airstrikes inside Lebanon while Hezbollah responded by firing 150 rockets towards Israel’s Iron Dome defense system.
Hezbollah retaliated on Sunday by launching over 320 Katyusha rockets and drones at Israel, targeting 11 military sites. This response followed the assassination of a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut last month. Anticipating the attack, Israeli intelligence initiated an airstrike campaign across southern Lebanon as a preemptive measure to defend against Hezbollah’s impending strikes.
Hezbollah confirmed that the strikes were an initial response to the killing of Fouad Shukur, a senior commander, in an attack in Beirut’s southern suburbs last month. The group indicated that their barrage represented “the first phase” of their response and that a full response would take additional time.
Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari stated that the Israeli military was conducting strikes on “terror targets” in Lebanon to neutralize threats from which Hezbollah was planning to launch attacks on Israeli civilians. Hagari also warned that Hezbollah might soon escalate by firing rockets, and potentially missiles and drones, into Israel.
