Israel attacks Hezbollah

(JTA) — Israel bombed hundreds of sites inside Lebanon and Hezbollah fired hundreds of rockets into Israel early Sunday in a sharp flare of hostilities at Israel’s northern border.

Hezbollah has said for weeks that it is planning a significant attack within Israel in response to Israel’s killing in Beirut last month of Fuad Shukr, a Hezbollah commander. Israeli military leaders said they had determined that an attack was imminent and struck against Hezbollah’s rocket launchers in a bid to prevent or blunt the damage. They said that a fleet of more than 100 fighter jets had destroyed thousands of launchers.

Hezbollah was still able to fire hundreds of rockets and drones, the most in a single volley since the ignition of tensions Oct. 7 that has turned Israel’s northern border into a danger zone. But most were intercepted or landed in open spaces and only light damage and injuries were reported.

The flareup caused a brief closure of Ben-Gurion Airport, which rarely grounds flights, and raised anxiety in a country that has been on edge for weeks since the back-to-back assassinations of Shukr and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. (Israel did not claim responsibility for Haniyeh’s killing but is widely understood to have been responsible.) Both Iran and Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy, vowed to respond forcefully but had not yet done so.

“When we said we would do whatever it takes to protect the citizens of the State of Israel, this is what we meant,” Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military’s top spokesman, said in a video statement during the operation. He also warned Lebanese civilians living near Hezbollah installations to leave their homes.

Senior U.S. officials were in close communication with Israeli officials during the incident, National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett said in a statement. “We will keep supporting Israel’s right to defend itself, and we will keep working for regional stability,” he said.

Both Israel and Hezbollah claimed success in the flareup, and Hamas praised Hezbollah for its attack. After it receded, some analysts said both sides were signaling that they did not intend to continue escalating tensions for now — Hezbollah said it had concluded its military operations for the day, and Israel lifted its state of emergency. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking before his regular Cabinet meeting Sunday, said the incident was “not the end of the story.”

The attacks happened amid negotiations over a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages held there by Hamas. Hopes for an agreement, following months of talks, are said to be dimming.