Sending out a strong message, Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said the strikes conducted by his army in southern Lebanon were not “the end of the story”.
Netanyahu did not disclose the action it is planning to take amid escalating tension in the region.
Country’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant posted on X: “The action carried out by the IDF yesterday to curb the Hezbollah attack strengthened the State of Israel…”
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Aggravating the ongoing tension in the Middle East, Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah and Israel have announced large-scale military operations against each other, media reports said Sunday.
According to a statement from Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group, several explosive drones have been launched, targeting key Israeli military sites.
Hezbollah said it has launched “more than 320” Katyusha rockets at Israel.
In response to the threat, the Israeli military initiated pre-emptive strikes on targets in Lebanon.
The IDF announced these strikes early Sunday, stating that they had detected preparations by Hezbollah for “large-scale” attacks on Israeli territory.
Israeli Air Force fighter jets have been deployed to neutralise these threats, focusing on Hezbollah positions that posed an immediate danger to Israeli civilians.
IDF Spokesperson RAdm. Daniel Hagarim said: “In a self-defence act to remove these threats, the IDF is striking terror targets in Lebanon, from which Hezbollah was planning to launch their attacks on Israeli civilians.”
The IDF released a video showing its aircraft targeting the terrorist infrastructure of Hezbollah.
“Our operation in Lebanon targeted the terrorist infrastructure Hezbollah planned to use against us, protecting Israeli families and homes,”the Israeli army wrote on X.
What is Hezbollah?
Hezbollah is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group, led since 1992 by its Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.
Hezbollah’s paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese Parliament.
Against the backdrop of another major escalation across the Blue Line dividing southern Lebanon and Israel on Sunday, the UN’s top Middle East envoy said on Sunday “there is no time to lose” for a ceasefire in Gaza and release of all hostages.
Posting on X, Tor Wennesland said he had met Palestinian Prime Minister Mohamed Mustafa following “intense exchanges” between the Israeli military – which said it had carried out large-scale pre-emptive strikes – and the militant group Hezbollah based in southern Lebanon which said it had carried out an attack which has now been “completed and accomplished.”
In a statement released later in the day the UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he was deeply concerned over the “significant increase in exchanges”.
“These actions put both the Lebanese and Israeli populations at risk as well as threatening regional security and stability”, the statement released by his Spokesperson continued, calling for “immediate de-escalation”.
The United States, Egypt and Qatar have been attempting to broker a comprehensive ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and militant group Hamas in the Egyptian capital Cairo, with Hamas reportedly agreeing to send a delegation this weekend to be briefed on progress, without directly participating.
According to news reports, the current sticking point in negotiations is Israel’s insistence on having a presence along the border between Egypt and Gaza known as the Philadelphi corridor and on the road that bisects the Gaza Strip.
