By Josef Federman and Abby Sewell | Associated Press
JERUSALEM — Israel launched heavy airstrikes in southern Lebanon early Sunday in what it said was a preemptive strike against the militant group Hezbollah, threatening to spark a broader regional war that could torpedo efforts to forge a cease-fire in Gaza.
The military said Hezbollah planned to launch a salvo of rockets and missiles toward Israel. Shortly afterward, Hezbollah announced that it had launched an attack on Israel with a large number of rockets and drones as an initial response to the death of one of its top commanders in a strike in Beirut last month.
Hezbollah had promised a meaningful response to the targeted killing of Fouad Shukur, raising fears that months of retaliatory strikes could escalate into all-out war.
The attacks come as Egypt hosts a new round of talks aimed at ending the 11-month war between Israel and Hamas. Hezbollah has said it would stop fighting if there is a ceasefire in Gaza. Iran backs both groups as well as militants in Syria, Iraq and Yemen that could join a wider conflict.
Warning sirens sounded across northern Israel, and Ben Gurion International Airport diverted incoming flights and delayed takeoffs for a time. The Israel Airports Authority said flights resumed at 7 a.m. local time.
Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said “dozens” of warplanes were attacking targets in southern Lebanon. He added that air defenses, warships and fighter jets were defending Israeli skies and taking part in the operation.
Hezbollah said its attack involved more than 320 Katyusha rockets targeting several sites in Israel and a “large number” of drones. It said the operation targeted “a qualitative Israeli military target that will be announced later” as well as “enemy sites and barracks and Iron Dome missile defense platforms.”
In the United States, a spokesman for the National Security Council, Sean Savett, said that President Joe Biden was “closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon.”
“Under his leadership, senior U.S. officials have been in constant communication with their Israeli counterparts,” Savett said. “We will continue to support Israel’s right to defend itself and we will continue to work for regional stability.”
In recent weeks, U.S. and European diplomats have made a series of visits to Israel and Lebanon in an attempt to stem an escalation that they fear could spiral into a regional war, potentially involving the United States and Iran.
Last week, Israel’s defense minister said he was moving more troops to the Lebanese border in anticipation of possible fighting with Hezbollah.
Hagari, the army spokesman, said early Sunday that “in an act of self-defense to eliminate these threats, the (Israeli) army is striking terrorist targets in Lebanon, from where Hezbollah planned to launch its attacks against Israeli civilians.”
“We note that Hezbollah is preparing to launch a large-scale attack against Israel, while endangering Lebanese civilians,” he added, without giving details. “We warn civilians in areas where Hezbollah operates to immediately move away from the danger for their own safety,” he added.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he and his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, were directing the latest operation from military headquarters in Tel Aviv. Gallant declared a “special situation on the home front” and Netanyahu’s security cabinet was scheduled to meet later Sunday morning.
Lebanese media reported strikes in the south of the country without immediately providing further details. Images posted on social media showed what appeared to be strikes in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah began attacking Israel almost immediately after the start of the Gaza war, sparked by Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7. Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire almost daily, displacing tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border. Until Sunday, both sides had been careful to avoid open warfare.
Hezbollah, which fought a fierce battle with Israel in the summer of 2006, is considered far more powerful than it was during that conflict. The United States and Israel estimate that it has some 150,000 rockets and is capable of striking anywhere in Israel. The group has also developed drones that can evade Israeli defenses and precision-guided munitions.
Israel has one of the world’s best militaries and a multi-layered missile defense system. It is backed by a U.S.-led coalition that helped it shoot down hundreds of missiles and drones fired from Iran earlier this year. The U.S. military has been building up its forces in the region in recent weeks.
Israel has promised an overwhelming response in the event of open war, a war that would likely destroy critical civilian infrastructure, particularly in southern Beirut and southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah’s main strongholds are located. A war would likely result in the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people on both sides.
Hezbollah is a close ally of Iran, which has also threatened to retaliate for the killing of a senior Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in an explosion in Tehran last month that was widely blamed on Israel, which has not said whether it was involved.
Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani in Buellton contributed to this report.
