The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Sunday they had hit “thousands” of Hezbollah rocket launchers in southern Lebanon in a pre-dawn strike to thwart attacks on Tel Aviv. Lebanon reported one person was killed in the attack.
The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement:
Approx. 100 [Israel Air Force] Warplanes commanded by the Israel Defense Forces’ intelligence service struck and destroyed thousands of Hezbollah rocket launchers in southern Lebanon, most of which were aimed at northern Israel and some at central Israel. More than 40 launch sites in Lebanon were hit during the attack.
Lebanese Media Reported One person was killed in the attack, according to the Times of Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the statement from Kirya, the Israeli military headquarters in Tel Aviv (translated from Hebrew by the Government Press Office):
This morning, we confirmed that Hezbollah is preparing to attack Israel. In agreement with the Minister of Defense and the IDF Chief of Staff, we have instructed the IDF to begin action to eliminate the threat.
Since then, the IDF has taken strong action to thwart the threat, eliminating thousands of rockets aimed at northern Israel. The IDF has also thwarted many other threats, taking very strong action both defensively and offensively.
I ask all Israeli citizens to follow the instructions given by the IDF Home Front Command.
We are determined to do whatever it takes to defend our country, bring northerners safely home, and continue to adhere to a simple rule: He who hurts us, hurts us.
Some reports said Hezbollah was planning to launch a barrage of thousands of rockets at Tel Aviv. After the Israeli airstrikes, Hezbollah fired hundreds of rockets, but to little effect, and more Hezbollah rockets were expected to be fired in the future.
Israeli authorities banned large gatherings in the center and north of the country and advised people to go to work when it was safe (Sundays are part of the work week in Israel) but only if bomb shelters were available. If the siren sounded, people were to enter “safety rooms” or bomb shelters for 10 minutes.
Joel B. Pollack is executive editor of Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday The show airs Sunday nights from 7 to 10 p.m. (4 to 7 p.m. ET) on SiriusXM Patriot. He is the author of “Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” which is available for preorder on Amazon. He also wrote,Trumpian virtue: The lessons and legacy of Donald Trump’s presidency” is available on Audible. He is the 2018 recipient of the Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter. Joel Pollack.
