Israel launches attacks on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon

Hezbollah reported today that it successfully attacked Israeli sites.

A statement said the first phase of the campaign against Israel has been completed.

“The first phase has been completed with complete success,” the statement said. “This phase included striking Zionist barracks and sites to facilitate the passage of attack drones to their intended targets deep inside the entity.”

The Iran-backed militant group said the attack drones, which it said crossed the border into Israel “as planned,” were partly responsible.

The group also said it had fired 320 Katyusha rockets and listed 11 Israeli bases and military sites that had been successfully attacked.

NBC News could not yet verify the details in the statement.

President Joe Biden is closely monitoring the situation, a National Security Council spokesman said.

“President Biden is closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon,” said NSC spokesman Sean Savett.

“He’s been busy all night with his national security team,” Savett said. “At his direction, senior U.S. officials have been in constant communication with their Israeli counterparts.”

The United States wants to prevent Hezbollah and possibly Israel’s ally Iran from getting involved in Israel’s war with Hamas militants in Gaza. The White House has therefore pushed for a ceasefire while talks are still ongoing.

“We will continue to support Israel’s right to defend itself,” Savett said, “and we will continue to work for regional stability.”

Israel’s main international airport, Ben Gurion, reopened as normal early Sunday morning, an Israel Airports Authority spokesman said in a statement.

“According to the assessment of the situation, Israel’s airport is expected to resume operations… including take-offs and landings,” the spokesman said.

The airport was temporarily closed due to the attacks between Israel and Hezbollah, during which time some planes were diverted to alternative airports, the spokesman said.

In a telephone conversation today with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant explained that Israel’s military action is preemptive and intended to protect its citizens.

Gallant called it a “special situation on the home front” in response to the back-and-forth with Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants, saying the measure could limit gatherings to increase the safety of Israelis during the fighting.

During the call, he told Austin that the Israeli military knew Hezbollah was planning an attack tonight because of the killing of a top commander last month, and that is why they launched a preventive operation, according to a statement from the Israeli Defense Ministry.

“We have conducted precision strikes in Lebanon to thwart an imminent threat to the citizens of Israel,” he told Austin. “We are closely monitoring developments in Beirut and we are committed to using every tool at our disposal to defend our citizens.”

According to the Defense Ministry, the two men discussed the importance of preventing regional escalation in Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas militants in Gaza, who are sympathetic to Iran and Hezbollah.

Austin “reaffirmed the United States’ unwavering commitment to defending Israel against attacks by Iran and its regional partners and proxies,” according to a summary of the call provided by Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder.

Israel Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a statement today that leaders are convinced that Hezbollah is preparing an attack.

“We carried out preemptive strikes after we saw that Hezbollah was preparing to attack us,” he said. “We will do whatever it takes to protect Israel.”

He urged Israelis to be vigilant. “People can go out as long as there is a shelter nearby,” he said.

Israel launched a series of intensive airstrikes in southern Lebanon early Sunday, calling it a preemptive strike on the militant group Hezbollah, threatening to spark a wider war in the region that could derail efforts to enforce a ceasefire in Gaza.

The military said Hezbollah planned to fire a heavy barrage of rockets and missiles at Israel. The Iran-backed group had vowed revenge for Israel’s killing of a top commander late last month.

Air raid sirens sounded throughout northern Israel and Ben-Gurion International Airport began diverting incoming flights and delaying departures.

Shortly after, Hezbollah announced it had launched an attack on Israel with a “large number of drones” in an initial response to the killing of Fouad Shukur, a top commander of the group, in a raid on the southern outskirts of Beirut last month.

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