Israelis woke up to air raid sirens sounding across the north of the country on Sunday as Hezbollah fired numerous rockets, causing damage and fires in the square, but thanks to Israeli defenses, no one was seriously injured.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a series of airstrikes against Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon on Saturday, hitting 400 targets, including rocket launchers aimed at the Iran-backed terrorist group.
The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement early Sunday morning.
Later in the afternoon, at the direction of the IDF Intelligence Directorate, the Israeli Air Force struck approximately 290 targets, including thousands of launchers, as well as additional terrorist facilities in several areas of southern Lebanon.
In a series of additional attacks over the past few hours, the IDF struck around 110 Hezbollah terrorist targets, including launchers and terrorist infrastructure, in several areas of southern Lebanon.
The IDF will continue operations to dismantle and degrade Hezbollah's capabilities and terrorist infrastructure.
Later, when Hezbollah began shelling Israeli communities in the north, the IDF said:
Sirens were sounded in multiple areas of northern Israel from 6:24 to 6:32 a.m. and from 6:52 to 7 a.m., after which approximately 85 projectiles were confirmed to have been fired into Israeli territory from Lebanon. Some of the projectiles were intercepted, while those that fell were confirmed in the areas of Kiryat Bialik, Tzul Shalom and Moreshet. Israeli Fire and Rescue Services are currently working to extinguish multiple fires in the area.
Approximately 20 projectiles were observed flying into Israeli territory from Lebanon after sirens sounded in the Jezreel Valley area at 4:48 a.m. and 5:10 a.m. Most of the projectiles were intercepted, while the rest fell in open areas. No injuries were reported.
Israeli military radio said Hezbollah appeared to be targeting an Israeli airbase, but only struck civilian areas and squares.
Schools in Haifa and areas north of it were closed for in-person classes.
Israeli forces also intercepted a missile fired from Iraq towards Israel, possibly by Iran-backed militias.
Asked by an Army Radio host whether the rising tensions meant a “Third Lebanon War” or was just a step towards it, the correspondent replied that it was just a step, but that most Israelis were expecting war and had been preparing for it.
The escalation of tensions comes days after Israel surprised Hezbollah leaders with pager and walkie-talkie explosions and precision airstrikes after an unprovoked attack on Israel in October and months of artillery bombardment of northern Israel.
A war with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon would be the “second front” that US President Joe Biden tried to avoid when he warned Hezbollah and Iran last October to “stop.” That warning appears to have failed, as Israel is fighting it alone.
Joel B. Pollack is executive editor of Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday It airs Sundays from 7:00pm-10:00pm ET (4:00pm-7:00pm PT) on SiriusXM Patriot. He is the author of the following books: Agenda: What President Trump Should Do in His First 100 Daysavailable for pre-order on Amazon. He also Trumpian virtues: The lessons and legacy of Donald Trump's presidencyavailable now on Audible. He is the recipient of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter. Joel Pollack.
