UPDATE 2 – Hezbollah launches ‘first phase’ of retaliatory attacks against Israel after commander’s assassination

UPDATES WITH DETAILS, REVISES HEADLINE, ADDS CHANGES
By Naeem Barjaoui
BEIRUT (AA) – Lebanese group Hezbollah announced on Sunday that it had launched hundreds of rockets and drones deep into Israel as part of the “first phase” of its response to Tel Aviv's assassination of its senior commander Fouad Shukr.
The announcement came shortly after the Israeli army attacked southern Lebanon with a large-scale airstrike that it called a "preemptive strike," claiming to have prevented Hezbollah from launching an attack.
In a statement, Hezbollah said that “the first stage of our response to Shukr's assassination has been successfully completed."
“The initial phase involved targeting Israeli barracks and sites to facilitate the passage of offensive drones toward their intended targets deep within the Israeli entity,” it added. “These drones have successfully reached their destinations as planned."
Hezbollah said 11 Israeli military sites were targeted, including the Meron, Zaatoun, Al-Sahl, Nafah, Yarden, and Ein Zeitim bases, as well as the Kela, UF, Ramot Naftali, Neve Ziv, and Zarura camps, all in northern Israel.
The group also claimed that the drone attack coincided with strikes on several Israeli military sites, barracks, and Iron Dome missile defense systems in northern Israel with a large number of rockets.
The Israeli army said it launched pre-emptive strikes in southern Lebanon to prevent the Hezbollah barrage.
Military spokesman Avichay Adraee claimed that the attack involved 100 fighter jets and was intended to prevent an impending missile and rocket attack on northern and central Israel.
"We have recently detected preparations by Hezbollah to launch rockets and missiles towards Israel. As a result, we are attacking to eliminate the threat,” the army said in a statement.
Israeli authorities halted all flights to and from Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv.
According to an Anadolu correspondent, Israeli fighter jets simultaneously launched more than 40 airstrikes on 17 areas and towns in southern Lebanon.
Ambulances were seen rushing to some of the targeted locations.
Witnesses also reported the launch of dozens of rockets and attack drones from Lebanese territory towards Israel.
Israeli media, including Channel 12, reported that air raid sirens were sounding in several cities in northern Israel.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant informed his US counterpart Lloyd Austin by phone that Israeli airstrikes had thwarted Hezbollah's attacks.
“Minister Gallant and Secretary Austin discussed the importance of avoiding regional escalation,” a defense ministry statement said.
According to Israeli media, Gallant also declared a 48-hour emergency in the country, according to Israeli media.
Since October 8, 2023, Hezbollah has been engaged in daily exchanges of fire with the Israeli army across the Lebanese-Israeli border, resulting in hundreds of casualties, mostly on the Lebanese side.
The escalation comes against the backdrop of a brutal Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, which killed over 40,300 Palestinians since last Oct. 7 after a Hamas attack. The military campaign has reduced much of the territory to rubble and left most of the people homeless, hungry and prone to disease.
* Writing by Alperen Aktas and Ikram Kouachi