JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel launched airstrikes across southern Lebanon early Sunday to repel a major Hezbollah rocket and missile attack. The militant group responded by launching hundreds of rockets and drones to avenge the killing of a top commander last month.
Both sides stopped the heavy firefight by midnight and immediately signaled no further escalation. It comes as Egypt holds high-level talks aimed at a ceasefire 10-month Israel-Hamas war in Gaza Diplomats hope it will ease regional tensions.
Israel and Hezbollah said they only targeted military targets. Israel’s military said one soldier in the navy was killed and two others were wounded by an interceptor or shrapnel from one of the incoming fire. Two Hezbollah fighters and one allied fighter were killed, the groups said.
Hezbollah called it an initial retaliation for its attack on Israeli military positions Murder of Fuad Shukur In an Israeli airstrike on Beirut last month. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was expected to speak later on Sunday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military had intercepted thousands of rockets aimed at northern Israel and shot down drones headed toward the center of the country.
“I repeat – this is not the end of the story,” he said.
Planes were diverted as air raid sirens blared
Air raid sirens were reported across northern Israel, and Israel’s international airport was closed and flights diverted for about an hour. Israel’s Home Front Command later lifted restrictions in most areas.
Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said Hezbollah planned to attack targets in northern and central Israel. Initial assessments found “very little damage” but the military was on high alert. About 100 Israeli planes took part in the strikes, he said.
Hezbollah said its attack involved more than 320 Katyusha rockets and a “large number” of drones targeting several sites in Israel. It said the operation was “a classified Israeli military target to be announced later” and targeted “enemy bases and camps and Iron Dome (missile defense) sites”.
Hezbollah said the strikes would allow them to carry out strikes deeper into Israel, but a statement later said “military operations for today have been completed”. It rejected Israel’s claim that it had repelled a strong attack. Neither Israel nor Hezbollah provided evidence for their claims.
Some Israelis were shocked. In the northern city of Acre, retired teacher Sadia Even Tzur, 76, said she was at the synagogue when her bedroom was damaged and came home five minutes later. “I went up and saw the extent of the miracle that had happened to me,” he said. A window was broken and debris was on his bed.
Lebanon’s conservative Economy Minister Amin Salam said after an emergency government meeting that officials were “a little too optimistic” about slowing the expansion. “We are very reassured that both parties have confirmed that the expected proceedings have been completed,” he said.
President Joe Biden has been “closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon,” said Sean Chavet, a spokesman for the National Security Council. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, the Pentagon said. Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown is on a regional visit that includes Israel, Egypt and Jordan.
All-out war was avoided for now
Randa Slim, a senior fellow at the Washington, DC-based Middle East Institute, said it is “still subject to the terms of engagement and unlikely to lead to an all-out war at this point.”
Danny Citrinowicz, an expert at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies, said Hezbollah may be trying to “balance the equation without turning into a war.” Each side hopes their story will be enough to declare victory and avoid a wider conflict, he said.
Hezbollah began attacking Israel soon after the war in Gaza began, prompted by Hamas’s October 7 attack in southern Israel. Israel and Hezbollah exchange fire almost daily, displacing tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border.
Hezbollah is believed to have fought a standoff with Israel in 2006 Very powerful Now. The United States and Israel estimate that they have about 150,000 rockets capable of striking anywhere inside Israel. The group has developed drones and precision-guided munitions capable of evading Israel’s defenses.
Israel has promised a crushing response to any major Hezbollah attack. It has an extensive multi-layered missile defense system and is backed by a US-led coalition that helped shoot down hundreds of missiles and drones launched from Iran earlier this year. There was the US Army Builds its forces across the region in recent weeks.
Hezbollah is a close ally of Iran He also threatened to retaliate against Israel For the killing of senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month. Israel did not say whether it was involved.
Iranian state media on Sunday reported the Hezbollah attack, calling it a success, but there was no immediate comment from Iranian officials.
The United States and other mediators see a cease-fire in Gaza as key to avoiding a wider Middle East war. Hezbollah has said it will stop attacks on Israel if a ceasefire is reached.
Egypt is targeting high-level talks in Cairo on Sunday Reduce gaps A ceasefire and a plan to release Hamas prisoners. The talks included CIA director William Burns and David Barnia, head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency.
Hamas sent a delegation to mediate through Egyptian and Qatari mediators but did not directly participate in the talks.
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Associated Press writers Karim Sehayeb in Beirut, Melanie Littman in Tel Aviv, Israel, Sami Magti in Cairo, Alexis Tribulard in Acre, Israel, and Amar Madani in Buellton, California contributed.
