(MENAFN- Daily News Egypt) Hezbollah launched hundreds of rockets and drones at Israel early Sunday in one of the biggest clashes in more than 10months of border warfare, as the Israeli forces conducted airstrikes on Lebanon.
The Lebanese group said it had fired 320 Katyusha rockets towards Israel and hit 11 military targets, calling it the first phase of retaliation for Israel's assassination of Fuad Shukr, a senior commander, last month.
Shukr was killed in a residential building in Dahiya, Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold. The group'sleader, Hassan Nasrallah, had promised to retaliate and, after 10 months of near-daily cross-border attacks, the expectation was that this would be significantly different.
The Israeli army claimed it had foiled a much larger attack with pre-emptive airstrikes after assessing that Hezbollah was preparing to launch the barrage. The military used 100 jets to strike more than 40 Hezbollah launch sites in southern Lebanon.
They also claimed to had struck Hezbollah rocket launchers in several areas in southern Lebanon in the past hour to“remove threats,” and struck a“terrorist cell operating in the area of Khiam in southern Lebanon.” Lebanon's Ministry of Health has confirmed three deaths in areas in southern Lebanon.
The extent of damage from the attacks was not immediately clear. Hezbollah indicated it was not planning further strikes, while Israel's Foreign Minister said the country did not seek a full-scale war.
Missiles were visible curling up through the dawn sky, dark vapour trails behind them, as an air raid siren sounded in Israel and a distant blast lit the horizon. Smoke rose over houses in Khiam in southern Lebanon.
Nasrallah will give a speech later, which will be closely watched for indications of what the group may be planning to do.
Sunday's developments have raised concerns about an escalation of the violence between Hezbollah and Israel, which so far has been relatively contained to border areas. This morning, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeated that the country is“determined” to do everything to return tens of thousands of residents who have been displaced in the north.“Whoever harms us – we will harm them,” he said.
Egypt Calls for De-escalation
Egypt expressed its deep concern over the ongoing escalation on the Lebanese-Israeli front, in a statement issued by the country's Foreign Ministry on Sunday.
The statement called for international and regional efforts to de-escalate tensions and prevent instability in the region, urging the establishment of a ceasefire and containment of the escalation.
Egypt warned of the dangers of opening a new front of war in Lebanon, emphasizing the importance of maintaining Lebanon's stability and sovereignty. It stressed the need to prevent the region from sliding into a state of comprehensive instability.
Egypt highlighted the dangerous and rapidly escalating developments in southern Lebanon as a stark reminder of its previous warnings about the risks of irresponsible escalation in the region, fueled by the Gaza crisis and Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza.
Egypt reiterated its call for a complete ceasefire and an end to the ongoing war in Gaza, emphasizing the necessity of preventing the region from further instability, conflict, and threats to international peace and security.
Cairo Talks
Sunday's strikes came as negotiators were meeting in Cairo in a last-ditch effort to conclude a halt to the fighting in Gaza.
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