Hezbollah confirmed it has completed “phase one” of an attack on Israel, beginning with a wave of more than 320 rockets and drones. Hezbollah had repeatedly warned that it would retaliate against the killing of its top commander Fuad Shukr at the end of July.
Minutes before the Hezbollah rocket attacks the Israel Defense Force (IDF) launched strikes inside Lebanon in “self-defence”. These pre-emptive strikes killed at least one person and injured four others.
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu and the defence minister, Yoav Gallant were in an underground IDF situation room in the early hours of Sunday to oversee the airstrikes.
The latest exchange of strikes has added to growing fears of a regional war in the Middle East.
The White House said Joe Biden was monitoring events, adding that Israel had the right to self-defence.
