Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that his country’s strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon are not “the end of the story.”
Hostilities in the Middle East have erupted once more as Israel carries out what it called pre-emptive strikes on Hezbollah, accusing the Lebanese group of planning a “large-scale” attack.
This comes after Israel has assassinated a number of Hezbollah and Hamas officials – the latest being Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur.
Hezbollah retaliated to the assassination by targeting Israel with a “large number of drones.”
After Israel‘s strikes, Netanyahu said: “Hezbollah tried to attack the State of Israel with rockets and drones. We instructed the IDF to carry out a powerful, preemptive strike to eliminate the threat.
“The IDF destroyed thousands of short-range rockets, and all of them were aimed at harming our citizens and our forces in the Galilee.
“In addition, the IDF intercepted all the drones that Hezbollah launched at strategic targets in the center of the country.”
“Israel is hitting Hezbollah with surprising, crushing blows. Three weeks ago we eliminated its chief of staff [Fouad Shukr].
“Today we foiled its attack plan. [Hezbollah’s Hassan] Nasrallah in Beirut and [Ayatollah Ali] Khamenei in Tehran should know that this is another step on the path to changing the situation in the north and returning our residents safely to their homes.”
The White House said on Sunday that US President Joe Biden is monitoring the situation in the Middle East.
National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett said that Mr Biden “has been engaged with his national security team throughout the evening. At his direction, senior U.S. officials have been communicating continuously with their Israeli counterparts.”
He added: “We will keep supporting Israel’s right to defend itself, and we will keep working for regional stability.”
The Pentagon said that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has spoken to his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant.
They added: “Secretary Austin reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s defense against any attacks by Iran and its regional partners and proxies.”