Hezbollah launched a major barrage of missiles against Israel on Sunday in retaliation for the assassination of a senior commander in Beirut last month, the Iranian-backed movement said, as Israel’s cabinet met to prepare a response.
Israeli jets hit targets in Lebanon shortly before the strikes were launched as the military assessed that Hezbollah was preparing to begin the barrage.
“The IDF identified the Hezbollah preparing to fire missiles and rockets toward Israeli territory. In response to these threats, the IDF is striking terror targets in Lebanon,” the Israel Defence Forces said in a statement.
Israel’s cabinet was to meet at 7 a.m. (0400 GMT), Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced.
Flights to and from Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv were suspended, the airports authority said, and the defence minister declared an emergency.
Warning sirens sounded in northern Israel and multiple explosions were heard around several areas as Israel’s Iron Dome aerial defence system shot down rockets coming from southern Lebanon. Israel’s Magen David Adom ambulance service said it was on high alert all over the country.
