Israel thwarts major Hezbollah attack, striking rocket launchers aimed at Tel Aviv
A man inspects the damage of a house after it was hit by a rocket fired from Lebanon on August 25 in Acre, Israel. Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images
By Benyamin Cohen August 25, 2024
A fleet of more than 100 Israeli fighter jets hit dozens of targets in southern Lebanon early Sunday morning, aiming to thwart what Israel claimed was a imminent major attack by Hezbollah. Some of the rocket launchers aimed at Tel Aviv were supposed to fire at 5 a.m., according to intelligence officials.
At least three people in Lebanon were killed and two were injured, according to the local health ministry.
In response, Hezbollah said it fired hundreds of rockets back at Israel, aimed at military bases. But most were intercepted or landed in open spaces and only light damage and injuries were reported.
It was some of the heaviest fighting in months around the northern border. Both Israel and Hezbollah claimed success in the flareup, and Hamas praised Hezbollah for its attack.
Netanyahu addressed the news at the start of his weekly cabinet meeting Sunday, saying it was a “powerful, preemptive strike to eliminate the threat.”
He continued: “Israel is hitting Hezbollah with surprising, crushing blows. Three weeks ago we eliminated its chief of staff. Today we foiled its attack plan,” adding,”this is another step on the path to changing the situation in the north and returning our residents safely to their homes.”
Hezbollah said its operation had “finished for the day,” and that this was the first stage of retaliation for the July assassination Fuad Shukr, a senior Hezbollah commander, in Beirut. The leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, is expected to deliver a speech at 11 a.m. ET.
This is not “the end of the story,” Netanyahu said.
Zooming out
All of this is happening amid a backdrop of the potential for a broader regional war.
Iran is still mulling how to respond to the July 31 killing in Tehran of Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’ political leader. Israel has been bracing for an Iranian attack for nearly a month. But Iran seems to have put its plans on hold while the latest round of ceasefire-for-hostage talks continue. Officials from the U.S., Egypt and Qatar have plans to meet today in Cairo to continue to iron out details of a plan. Regardless, it is unclear if the two principals — Israel and Hamas — will be able to move close to a peace deal that could ultimately stave off a wider war.
JTA contributed to this report.
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you move on, I wanted to ask you to support the Forward’s award-winning journalism during our High Holiday Monthly Donor Drive.
If you’ve turned to the Forward in the past 12 months to better understand the world around you, we hope you will support us with a gift now. Your support has a direct impact, giving us the resources we need to report from Israel and around the U.S., across college campuses, and wherever there is news of importance to American Jews.
Make a monthly or one-time gift and support Jewish journalism throughout 5785. The first six months of your monthly gift will be matched for twice the investment in independent Jewish journalism.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
