Hezbollah launches hundreds of missiles at Israel

(MENAFN) In a dramatic escalation of hostilities, the Islamic paramilitary group Hezbollah has unleashed a barrage of rockets on Israeli targets, in response to the recent killing of its senior commander, Fouad Shukr. Shukr was killed last month in an airstrike on Beirut, which Hezbollah has described as a "brutal Zionist aggression."

On Sunday, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for firing over 320 rockets at 11 Israeli military sites, including locations in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. This extensive assault, according to Hezbollah, represents their initial retaliation for the airstrike that resulted in Shukr’s death. The group framed the attack as a necessary response to what they view as an aggressive and unjustified Israeli action against the southern suburbs of Beirut.

In response to Hezbollah's rocket fire, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) executed preemptive strikes against the Lebanon-based militia. The IDF reported that their operations were aimed at thwarting an imminent attack by Hezbollah, which had been preparing extensively for this offensive. The Israeli military deployed approximately 100 jets to target and destroy thousands of Hezbollah rocket launcher barrels situated in southern Lebanon. They released footage showing the scale of the bombardment.

The IDF also estimated that Hezbollah had launched around 210 rockets and 20 drones towards Israeli targets. IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari stated that Israeli defenses had successfully intercepted many of these threats and prevented a significant portion of the planned attack from reaching its targets. The ongoing exchange highlights the deepening conflict between the two groups and underscores the volatile nature of the regional security situation.

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