The Israeli military said on Sunday that it was launching strikes in Lebanon after assessing that the Hezbollah movement was preparing to fire rockets and missiles toward Israel. The Iranian-backed group issued a statement shortly after announcing a large-scale operation.
“The IDF identified the Hezbollah terrorist organization 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.
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Flights Suspended
Flights to and from Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv were been suspended, and Israel’s cabinet was to meet at 7 am, Israeli media reported. “Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu will convene the security cabinet at 07:00 am,” his office said in a statement.
“In a self-defense act to remove these threats, the IDF is striking terror targets in Lebanon, from which Hezbollah was planning to launch their attacks on Israeli civilians.”Listen to an update from IDF Spokesperson, RAdm. Daniel Hagari, regarding Hezbollah’s plans to attack… pic.twitter.com/fKvbUVSmbT
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) August 25, 2024
Middle East Escalation
The attack against Hezbollah came amid heightened expectations of an escalation between the two sides since a missile strike in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights last month killed 12 youngsters and the Israeli military assassinated a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut in response.
“In the near future, Hezbollah will launch rockets, and possibly missiles towards the territory of the State of Israel,” the Israeli military said. It said new civil defence instructions would be issued to the population shortly. It warned civilians in southern Lebanon to stay away from areas where Hezbollah operates.
‘Leave immediately’
The Middle East has been on edge for weeks after Hezbollah and Iran vowed to respond to an Israeli strike in Beirut that killed a senior commander of the group as well as the assassination in Tehran of Hamas’s political leader, also blamed on Israel.
The Israeli military warned residents of areas in southern Lebanon to “leave immediately” as it carried out a series of pre-emptive strikes against the Iran-backed militant group.
“Anyone who is near areas where Hezbollah operates should leave immediately to protect themselves and their families,” the military said in an Arabic-language message. “The IDF (military) will do whatever is necessary to protect the citizens of Israel. In the coming hours we will update you on the latest developments.”
(With agency inputs)
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