JERUSALEM — Israel launched a series of intense airstrikes in southern Lebanon early Sunday in what it said was a pre-emptive strike against the Hezbollah militant group, threatening to trigger a broader regionwide war that could torpedo efforts to forge a ceasefire in Gaza.
The army said Iranian-backed Hezbollah had been planning to launch a heavy barrage of rockets and missiles toward Israel.
Confirming Israel’s fears, Hezbollah said it had began an attack on Israel with a large number of drones and rockets in response for the killing of its top commander in a Beirut suburb last month.
The Lebanon-based group said it targeted an identified “special military target as well as Israel’s Iron Dome platforms and other sites but that the full response would take “some time.”
Air raid sirens were reported throughout northern Israel, and Israel’s Ben-Gurion international airport began diverting incoming flights and delaying takeoffs.
The attack came as Egypt hosts a new round of talks aimed at ending Israel’s war against Hamas, now in its 11th month. Hezbollah has said it will halt the fighting if there is a ceasefire.
Last week, Israel’s defense minister said he was moving more troops toward the Lebanese border in anticipation of possible fighting with the Iranian-backed group.
Israel’s military spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said early Sunday: ”In a self-defense act to remove these threats, the (Israeli military) is striking terror targets in Lebanon, from which Hezbollah was planning to launch their attacks on Israeli civilians.”
“We can see that Hezbollah is preparing to launch an extensive attack on Israel, while endangering the Lebanese civilians,” he added, without providing details. ”We warn the civilians located in the areas where Hezbollah is operating to move out of harm’s way immediately for their own safety,” he added.
Lebanese media reported strikes in the country’s south without immediately providing more details.
Social media footage showed what appeared to be strikes in southern Lebanon.
Israeli media cited the Israel Airports Authority for news of the flight cancelations.
Flight-tracking data showed at least two El Al flights swinging far south and diverting after the announcement.
Hezbollah began attacking Israel almost immediately after the war with Hamas erupted on Oct. 7 with a Hamas cross-border attack.
Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire nearly daily, displacing tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border and raising fears that the fighting could escalate into all-out war. But until Sunday, both sides have been careful to avoid a broader conflagration.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that he and his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, were managing the latest operation from military headquarters in Tel Aviv. Netanyahu’s Security Cabinet was set to meet later Sunday morning.
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