Hezbollah confirmed it has completed “phase one” of an attack on Israel, beginning with a wave of more than 320 rockets and drones. Hezbollah had repeatedly warned that it would retaliate against the killing of its top commander Fuad Shukr at the end of July.
Kassem Kassir, a Lebanese analyst widely considered to be close to Hezbollah’s leadership, said that the attack was only the “initial response” in the battle against Israel.
He told Sky News: “This is an initial response, but the battle is not over. No one can determine the course of the confrontation, Nasrallah [the Hezbollah leader] will speak today, we are all waiting.”
Minutes before the Hezbollah rocket attacks the Israel Defense Force (IDF) launched strikes inside Lebanon in “self-defence”. These pre-emptive strikes killed at least one person and injured four others.
It is thought that Hezbollah had originally intended to launch 6,000 rockets across the border but could managed to fire 320 following the Israeli strikes.
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu and the defence minister, Yoav Gallant were in an underground IDF situation room in the early hours of Sunday to oversee the airstrikes.
The latest exchange of strikes has added to growing fears of a regional war in the Middle East.
The White House said Joe Biden was monitoring events, adding that Israel had the right to self-defence.