Lagatar24 Desk
Tel Aviv: In a decisive move to counter threats from the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, the Israeli military launched preemptive strikes in Lebanon early Sunday. The strikes were in response to intelligence indicating that Hezbollah was preparing for “large-scale” attacks on Israeli territory.
According to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), these preemptive actions were necessary to neutralize the imminent danger posed by Hezbollah. “The IDF identified the Hezbollah terrorist organization preparing to fire missiles and rockets toward Israeli territory. In response to these threats, the IDF is striking terror targets in Lebanon,” the IDF stated.
🛑BREAKING: In a self-defense act to remove Hezbollah’s threat, the IDF is striking targets in south Lebanon, from which the Iranian-backed Lebanese terror organization was planning to launch their attacks on Israeli civilians.
Hezbollah rocket and drone attacks are targeting… pic.twitter.com/BtuUAqtgsv
— Israel ישראל (@Israel) August 25, 2024
As a precaution, flights to and from Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv were temporarily suspended. Israeli media also reported that the Israeli cabinet was scheduled to convene at 7 a.m. (0400 GMT) to discuss the evolving situation.
In a warning directed at residents of southern Lebanon, the Israeli military communicated in Arabic, saying, “We are monitoring Hezbollah’s preparations to carry out large-scale attacks on Israeli territory near your homes. You are in danger. We are attacking and eliminating Hezbollah threats.”
“In a self-defense act to remove these threats, the IDF is striking terror targets in Lebanon, from which Hezbollah was planning to launch their attacks on Israeli civilians.”
Listen to an update from IDF Spokesperson, RAdm. Daniel Hagari, regarding Hezbollah’s plans to attack… pic.twitter.com/fKvbUVSmbT
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) August 25, 2024
The IDF’s spokesperson, Daniel Hagari, emphasized that the strikes were a defensive measure. “In a self-defense act to remove these threats, the IDF is striking terror targets in Lebanon, from which Hezbollah was planning to launch their attacks on Israeli civilians,” Hagari stated.
In a rare and significant development a few days earlier, an Israeli strike targeted a Hezbollah arms depot in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley. According to security sources, the targeted weapons storage facilities were located in the Nabatieh area, approximately 12 kilometers (seven miles) from the closest point of the Israeli border.
The ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israeli forces has intensified since the war broke out in the Gaza Strip in October, with both sides engaging in near-daily exchanges of fire across the Lebanon-Israel border. Last week, an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon resulted in the deaths of nine people, including a woman and her two children, as reported by Lebanon’s health ministry. The strike, also in the Nabatieh area, left five others wounded, two of them critically.
This latest escalation comes amid growing concerns of a broader regional conflict, which international mediators have been striving to prevent through diplomatic efforts aimed at establishing a truce in Gaza.
