Tel Aviv: Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed armed group in Lebanon, on Sunday engaged in airstrikes, reviving fears of a wider conflict in the region.
The Israeli military had claimed that about 100 of its fighter jets had bombed more than 40 targets in southern Lebanon in a pre-dawn attack, reported the New York Times. Israel had described this as a pre-emptive strike against an “extensive” attack that Hezbollah was planning on the Israeli territory. Hezbollah later claimed that it had fired hundreds of rockets at Israel.
‘Emergency enables military to issue orders to the Israeli mass’
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant announced a 48-hour nationwide state of emergency from 06:00 am (0300 GMT) Sunday. “The declaration on the state of emergency enables the IDF (Israeli military) to issue instructions to the citizens of Israel, including limiting gatherings and closing sites where it may be relevant,” Gallant mentioned, in a statement issued by his office.
Hezbollah had announced large-scale rocket and drone launches towards Israel in a response to the killing of Fuad Shukr, its top commander, last month. A statement from the group claimed that it “began an air attack with a large number of drones” targeting deep into Israel.
The Middle East has been on edge for weeks after Hezbollah and Iran have pledged to respond to an Israeli strike in Beirut that led to the death of Shukr as well as to the assassination of Hamas’ political leader in Tehran. Hezbollah had held Israel responsible for the Hamas leader’s assassination.
Israel seeks support from other countries
Israel’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Israel Katz, sought support from other countries in its fight against Hezbollah, claiming that the country doesn’t seek a full-scale war. “This morning, I sent a direct message to dozens of foreign ministers worldwide, urging them to support Israel against the Iranian axis of evil and its proxies, led by Hezbollah. I informed them that Israel acted after definitively identifying a large-scale planned attack of missiles and drones by the Hezbollah terrorist organization against targets in Israel, and we delivered a preemptive strike to prevent the assault and protect Israeli citizens and territory. Israel is confronting the axis of evil led by Iran, which has the explicit aim of destroying Israel. We do not seek a full-scale war – but we will do whatever it takes to protect our citizens,” he wrote on his official X handle.
