The Israeli army said it was striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.
By messages BBC Russian, Israeli military officials claim that Hezbollah was preparing to launch rockets into Israel and the strikes were in fact pre-emptive. Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said:
“In self-defense, to eliminate these threats, the IDF is striking terrorist targets in Lebanon from which Hezbollah planned to carry out attacks on Israeli civilians.”
Following the first strikes on Lebanon, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant declared a 48-hour state of emergency in the country. Tel Aviv International Airport is closed to all flights. An IDF spokesman said that “dozens of IAF aircraft are currently striking targets in various locations in southern Lebanon.” An emergency meeting of Israel's emergency security cabinet has been called.
Shortly after the IDF's announcement, Hezbollah said it had launched a large-scale attack on Israel with drones and missiles. The statement said Hezbollah was giving an “initial response” to the recent assassination of its military wing commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut.
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