Israel launches air strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon

Hezbollah chief says cyber attacks ‘crossed all red lines’ as Israel launches one of its most extensive air strikes against the group’s strongholds yet and warns Israelis in the north to stay near bomb shelters.

Israel launched a wave of air strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon on Thursday, as the militant group’s leader said two days of debilitating attacks on its members amounted to a declaration of war.

The strikes came moments before Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah began to speak about the attacks earlier this week that caused pagers and walkie-talkies carried by thousands of the group’s members to explode, killing 37 people and injuring nearly 3,000.

Israeli fighter jets in the last several hours struck over 100 Hezbollah rocket launchers in southern Lebanon that were primed for immediate attacks on Israel, the military says.

The IDF says that in total, the launchers included around 1,000 launch barrels.

The strikes began… pic.twitter.com/nHoxC7nRQs

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“This criminal act is a major terrorist operation and amounts to a declaration of war,” Mr Nasrallah said, promising retribution but also acknowledging that the device explosions had dealt the group “a hard and severe blow.” While he spoke, a pair of sonic booms rang out across Beirut, in what security sources described as “one of the most extensive attacks since the beginning of the war.”

The IDF announced that it attacked 100 rocket launchers, which were primed for immediate launch into Israel.

The IDF has warned civilians in northern Israel to remain close to bomb shelters - advice which it did not give in the weeks Jersualem expected retaliation from Iran after Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran.

The new guidelines advised civilians to reduce movement outside homes, avoid large gatherings, guard the entrances to their communities, and remain close to bomb shelters.

A number of schools in the north have also announced they will close on Friday (local time).

An Israeli fighter jet takes off to bomb Hezbollah targets. Picture: Israeli Defence Forces.

Tensions across the Israeli-Lebanese border have ratcheted higher, with heavier exchanges of fire and more aggressive Israeli operations.

“In the new phase of the war there are significant opportunities but also significant risks,” Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said Thursday.

Israel’s government is under pressure to secure its northern towns and allow evacuated residents to return to their homes. Tens of thousands of residents have been moved from both sides of the border due to the fighting.

Mr Nasrallah reiterated on Thursday that the US-designated terrorist group wouldn’t stop attacking Israel until the war in Gaza ends. The US has been working to negotiate a diplomatic solution that would include a ceasefire in Gaza, a return of Israeli hostages and an end to hostilities at the Israel-Lebanon border. Israeli officials have said in recent days that the time for a diplomatic solution had run out.

Mr Nasrallah said the group received messages from Israel that it would face more attacks if it didn’t stop firing on northern Israel. He responded defiantly: “We say to the enemy: The Lebanese front will not stop until the war in Gaza is over. The only solution is to stop the aggression.”

He addressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Mr Gallant directly, saying they won’t be able to safely return Israelis to northern Israel. “This is the challenge between us.”

Hezbollah has continued to launch projectiles, including explosive drones, into northern Israel despite the attacks on its members. Some Israelis were injured on Thursday by the barrages. Two Israeli soldiers were killed on Thursday from the fighting with Hezbollah, according to the Israeli military.

“The Hezbollah terrorist organisation has turned southern Lebanon into a combat zone,” the Israeli military said, adding that it “is operating to bring security to northern Israel in order to enable the return of residents to their homes, as well as to achieve all of the war goals.” Israel in recent days expanded its official war goals to include the aim of returning evacuated residents to their homes in the north, along with defeating Hamas in Gaza and bringing home hostages still held there.

Thursday’s strikes were more extensive than in previous days and came as the Israeli military’s top general, Herzi Halevi, approved battle plans for the northern front against Hezbollah.

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