JERUSALEM, Israel – Israel's military began a substantial strike against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon early Sunday morning. The attack focused on terror targets and launch sites. In response, Hezbollah says it fired 320 rockets into Israel targeting military barracks after the Israeli strikes.
A Western intelligence source told The New York Times the targets Israel destroyed in Lebanon were launch sites for a planned missile attack on Tel Aviv.
Ynet News reports the military hit 40 sites approved on Saturday night by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The IDF claims to have hit thousands of launchers and said that at one point Israel had 100 planes in the air at the same time. Reports indicate Hezbollah planned an assault that included 6,000 rockets and drones.
In northern Israel, the Home Front Command issued emergency alerts directing residents to stay only in protected areas. These locations included workplaces, children's schools, and camps. Beaches were closed from south of Tel Aviv on the Mediterranean to the Lebanese border. Beaches and parking lots were also shut down on the Sea of Galilee.
Gallant called his U.S. counterpart, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and reported, “We have conducted precise strikes in Lebanon in order to thwart an imminent threat against the citizens of Israel. We are closely following developments in Beirut, and we are determined to use all the means at our disposal in order to defend our citizens."
Hezbollah claimed its Sunday morning volley in the north completed the "first stage" of reprisals for last month's killing in Beirut of Fouad Shukr, the terror group's second-in-command.
"By God's grace, the first stage has been fully completed with complete success," Hezbollah announced. "This stage involved targeting Israeli barracks and sites to facilitate the passage of attack drones towards their intended destination deep within (Israel)."
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz briefed dozens of diplomatic leaders in other nations Sunday, asking them to support Israel's fight against Hezbollah and the "axis of evil."
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