Israeli authorities on Thursday warned residents in the north to stay indoors or near bomb shelters after the Israeli Air Force (IAF) struck hundreds of Hezbollah military sites in Lebanon.
The Israeli Air Force, using intelligence from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), struck additional “terrorist infrastructure facilities,” including around 100 launchers and 1,000 artillery shells.
Israeli officials said the barrels were “ready to be used in the near future to fire into Israeli territory.”
It was not immediately clear whether there were any casualties.
Israeli Air Force aircraft (Israel Defense Forces)
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The attack came after two days of attacks targeting thousands of Hezbollah pagers and walkie-talkies that were widely blamed on Israel.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, speaking for the first time since the spate of attacks on Thursday, described the spree of bombs as a “big blow” and warned of retaliation.
Hezbollah carried out at least four attacks in northern Israel during the speech, including one earlier in the day that killed two Israeli soldiers. As Nasrallah spoke, Israeli fighter jets flew low over Beirut, breaking the speed of sound, scattering birds and sending people in homes and offices rushing to open their windows to prevent them from shattering.
Hezbollah said it had attacked three Israeli military positions near the border early on Wednesday, including two using drones. Israeli hospitals reported eight people with light or moderate injuries.
The attack has raised fears that 11 months of near-daily gun battles between Hezbollah and Israel could escalate into all-out war. Hezbollah has said the attack on Israel is a show of support for Hamas. Israel and Hamas' nearly year-long war in Gaza began when Hezbollah militants led an Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
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Israel responded to Hezbollah attacks with strikes in southern Lebanon and on senior members of the group in the capital, Beirut, that have killed hundreds in Lebanon and dozens in Israel and forced tens of thousands of residents to flee on both sides of the border.
Mourners carry the coffin of a victim killed in a pager explosion on Tuesday during a funeral procession in a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussain)
Israeli leaders have in recent weeks stepped up warnings of a larger military operation against Hezbollah and said they were determined to thwart attacks to allow tens of thousands of Israelis to return to their homes near the border.
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Israel's defence minister said at a press conference on Thursday that Hezbollah “will pay an increasingly heavy price” as Israel tries to make conditions safe enough for residents on the Lebanese border to return.
“Our military operations will continue,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
