Summary
Here’s a wrap-up of the day’s key events:
US defense secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered two aircraft carrier strike groups to remain in the Middle East, Reuters reports, citing the Pentagon. The announcement was made in the summary of a call between Austin and his Israeli counterpart on Sunday.
Hamas has said it rejects Israel’s new conditions in the ongoing Gaza ceasefire talks, Reuters reports. According to Hamas official Osama Hamdan speaking to Al-Aqsa TV on Sunday, talk of an imminent deal is false.
Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah delivered a public address, saying that the group’s response was delayed for several reasons including mass Israeli and US military mobilisation, Reuters reports. He added, “We will assess the impact of today’s operation. If results are not seen to be enough, we will respond another time.”
Jordan has warned that heightened escalation between Israel and Hezbollah could lead to a “regional war”, echoing comments made by Egypt’s president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, earlier. Foreign ministry spokesperson Sufain Qudah said that Israel’s relentless “aggression” in Gaza and the failure to reach a ceasefire was exposing the region to the dangers of an expansion of the conflict, Jordanian state media reported.
The UN’s Palestine relief agency, Unrwa, has said it will launch a polio vaccination campaign with the World Health Organization, Unicef, and other partners for more than 600,000 children under 10 years old, over the coming days. The UN is appealing to Israel and Hamas for a humanitarian ceasefire to allow humanitarian workers to carry out the immunisation campaign.
Europe’s most senior diplomat will call for sanctions on two far-right Israeli ministers, as the EU battles to rescue its credibility on the Middle East. At a meeting of the EU’s 27 foreign ministers on Thursday, Josep Borrell will make the case for sanctions against Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, two far-right government ministers, whose inflammatory statements and behaviour have drawn international condemnation.
Egypt’s president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, has warned America’s top general of the dangers of a major conflict in Lebanon. US air force general, CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrived in Egypt hours after the missile exchange between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group.
A Hezbollah official has said the group’s rocket and drone attack against Israel on Sunday in retaliation for a top commander’s killing last month had been delayed by “political considerations”, Reuters reported. The official said the group had “worked” to make sure its response to the killing of Fuad Shukr on 30 July would not trigger a full-scale war.
British Airways has suspended its flights between London and Tel Aviv following an overnight escalation of hostilities in the Middle East. A spokesperson for the airline said on Sunday: “We’ve been continually monitoring the situation in the Middle East and have taken the operational decision to suspend our flights to and from Tel Aviv up to and including Wednesday, 28 August.
At least 40,405 Palestinian people have been killed and 93,468 injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Sunday. The ministry has said thousands of other dead people are most likely lost in the rubble of the enclave.
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels praised attacks by Hezbollah on Israel on Sunday and renewed threats to launch their own assault in response to Israeli strikes on a port in Yemen. “We congratulate Hezbollah and its secretary-general on the great and courageous attack carried out by the resistance this morning against the Israeli enemy,” the Houthis said in a statement.
US defense secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered two aircraft carrier strike groups to remain in the Middle East, Reuters reports, citing the Pentagon.
The announcement was made in the summary of a call between Austin and his Israeli counterpart on Sunday.
The Pentagon had initially deployed the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group into the region with a plan to replace the Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group, Reuters reports.
Hamas has said it rejects Israel’s new conditions in the ongoing Gaza ceasefire talks, Reuters reports.
According to Hamas official Osama Hamdan speaking to Al-Aqsa TV on Sunday, talk of an imminent deal is false.
The group maintains it is sticking to a July 2 ceasefire proposal and that US talk of an imminent deal is to serve US election purposes, Reuters reports.
Updated
The attorney general for England and Wales has intervened in the Foreign Office’s review of weapons sales to Israel.
The Guardian’s Kiran Stacey reports:
Keir Starmer’s most senior legal adviser has intervened in the contentious decision over whether to ban UK arms sales to Israel, the Guardian has learned, as officials struggle to distinguish between “offensive” and “defensive” weapons.
Sources say Richard Hermer, the attorney general, has told Foreign Office officials he will not approve a decision to ban some weapons sales but allow others, until they can say for sure which could be used to break international humanitarian law.
The legal wrangling at the top of government is understood to be the principal cause of the delay to the decision, which has become even more sensitive in recent weeks as the crisis in the Middle East escalates.
A Foreign Office spokesperson would not comment on Hermer’s role but said: “This government is committed to upholding international law. We have made clear that we will not export items if they might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law.
For the full story, click here:
Charles Q. Brown Jr, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, has arrived in Israel following heavy exchange of fire between Israel and Hezbollah, Reuters reports.
Brown is expected to hold meetings with senior Israeli military officials.
Earlier on Sunday he was in Egypt, where he met with Egyptian president Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, along with other top Egyptian commanders. Together, they discussed regional tensions including Israel’s war in Gaza and the potential reopening of the Rafah border crossing.
Updated
In Khan Younis, southern Gaza, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society distributed around 500 portable toilets in the Al-Mawasi area, the group said on Sunday.
The distribution efforts, carried out with assistance from the International Committee of the Red Cross, come amid a dire sanitation crisis as a result of Israel’s deadly bombardment of the strip.
The PRCS Disaster Risk Management teams in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross, distributed around 500 portable toilets in several displaced persons’ gatherings in the Al-Mawasi area of #KhanYunis. pic.twitter.com/5i6QN5c5pH
— PRCS (@PalestineRCS) August 25, 2024
In July, UNICEF reported that 60 percent of all WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) facilities had been destroyed or severely damaged, with access to safe water for drinking and bathing, toilets and even soap severely limited.
Updated
Hezbollah leader: 'If results are not seen to be enough, we will respond another time'
Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah added:
“We will assess the impact of today’s operation. If results are not seen to be enough, we will respond another time.”
In his address, Hassan Nasrallah added that the Israeli military began striking Lebanon 30 minutes before the group’s operation, but the areas targeted had nothing to do with the operation.
He went on to say that the group’s military operation was completed as planned, “with precision.” Nasrallah also said that Hezbollah targeted a military intelligence base 110 kilometers into Israeli territory, 1.5 kilometers away from Tel Aviv.
He added that Hezbollah sent Katyusha rockets to distract Israel’s Iron Dome and other drone defenses to enter Israeli airspace.
Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah is delivering a public address, saying that the group’s response was delayed for several reasons including mass Israeli and US military mobilisation, Reuters reports.
The group decided not to respond to the killing of its top commander by targeting civilian areas, Nasrallah added, saying that the group decided not to target Israeli infrastructure.
He added that Hezbollah wanted to target military sites close to Tel Aviv and that the group decided to target a military intelligence base where an Israeli surveillance unit operates.
Israel and Lebanon exchanged messages via intermediaries on Sunday in order to prevent further escalation, according to two diplomats speaking anonymously to Reuters.
According to one diplomat, the main message was that both sides considered Sunday’s intense bombardment from either side “done” and that neither side wanted a full-scale war.
Jordan warns that escalation in Lebanon could lead to regional war
Jordan has warned that heightened escalation between Israel and Hezbollah could lead to a “regional war”, echoing comments made by Egypt’s president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, earlier (see post at 14.21).
Foreign ministry spokesperson Sufain Qudah said that Israel’s relentless “aggression” in Gaza and the failure to reach a ceasefire was exposing the region to the dangers of an expansion of the conflict, Jordanian state media reported.
It comes after Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Sunday’s strikes in Lebanon were “not the final word” in his country’s military campaign against Hezbollah.
“We are striking Hezbollah with surprising, crushing blows... This is another step towards changing the situation in the north and safely returning our residents to their homes. And, I repeat, this is not the final word,” Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting.
Jordan and other Arab states have been highly critical of Israel’s war on Gaza and have been demanding a ceasefire since mid-October.
One Israel navy soldier was killed and two were injured during combat in northern Israel on Sunday, the Israeli military said.
Israeli media reported that the soldier died on a naval vessel offshore as an interceptor from Israel’s Iron Dome aerial defence system engaged a drone fired by Hezbollah. These claims are yet to be independently verified by the Guardian.
Updated
Summary of the day so far...
Israel launched a wave of airstrikes across southern Lebanon early Sunday in what it said was a preemptive strike to avert a large Hezbollah attack.
Hezbollah said it had fired 320 Katyusha rockets towards Israel and hit 11 military targets in what it called the first phase of its retaliation for Israel’s assassination of Fuad Shukr, a senior commander, last month.
A Hezbollah official said it had delayed its retaliation to give a chance for ongoing Gaza ceasefire talks and other “political considerations”.
Hezbollah later indicated it was not planning further strikes yet. Israel’s foreign minister said the country did not seek a full-scale war, though tensions remain extremely high.
Egypt’s president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, warned America’s top general, CQ Brown, who is chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, of the dangers of a major conflict in Lebanon.
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said Israel’s strikes on Sunday are “not the end of the story” in its military campaign against Hezbollah.
At least three fighters were killed in the strikes on Lebanon, while there were no reports of casualties in Israel.
At 6pm local time (16:00 GMT), Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah is due to give a speech. We will bring you the latest developments on this as soon as we can.
Egypt is hosting high-level talks in Cairo aimed at bridging the gaps in an evolving proposal for a truce and the release of scores of hostages held by Hamas. The talks were to be attended by CIA director William Burns and David Barnea, the head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency.
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels praised attacks by Hezbollah on Israel and renewed threats to launch their own assault in response to Israeli strikes on a port in Yemen last month. Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, also praised Hezbollah’s attack on Israel.
The White House said the US president, Joe Biden, was monitoring events, adding that Israel had the right to self-defence but that the US would “keep working for regional stability”.
The UN’s Palestine relief agency, Unrwa, has said it will launch a polio vaccination campaign with the World Health Organization, Unicef, and other partners for more than 600,000 children under 10 years old, over the coming days.
For the first time in 25 years, polio has been recorded in the #GazaStrip
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) August 25, 2024
Given the high risk of the spread of the deadly disease, @WHO, @UNICEF, @UNRWA & partners are launching a vaccination campaign in the coming days for over 600K children who are under 10 years of age. https://t.co/EDS14tU8Ja
The UN is appealing to Israel and Hamas for a humanitarian ceasefire to allow humanitarian workers to carry out the immunisation campaign.
Gaza has not registered a polio case for 25 years, although type 2 poliovirus was detected in samples collected from the territory’s wastewater earlier this summer.
UN agencies have been campaigning for four decades to eradicate polio, most often spread through sewage and contaminated water, but there has been a resurgence in recent years in Afghanistan and Pakistan and some isolated cases in Nigeria.
Europe’s most senior diplomat will call for sanctions on two far-right Israeli ministers, as the EU battles to rescue its credibility on the Middle East.
At a meeting of the EU’s 27 foreign ministers on Thursday, Josep Borrell will make the case for sanctions against Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, two far-right government ministers, whose inflammatory statements and behaviour have drawn international condemnation.
Ben-Gvir, Israel’s national security minister, caused outrage with a recent visit to the al-Aqsa mosque, also known as the Temple Mount, a site that is sacred to Muslims and Jews. The ultranationalist minister, who is seeking to disrupt ceasefire talks, said he went to pray, in violation of the status quo that permits only Muslims to pray, while others can visit.
Ben-Gvir has also called repeatedly for cutting off aid and fuel supply to Gaza, a position he reiterated earlier this month.
Smotrich, Israel’s finance minister, also caused outrage earlier this month when he said it might be “justified and moral” to starve 2 million people in Gaza in order to free the remaining Israeli hostages, who were seized in the 7 October attacks by Hamas on Israel.
In apparent response to these statements, Borrell tweeted on 11 August: “While the world pushes for a ceasefire in #Gaza, Min. Ben Gvir calls for cutting fuel & aid to civilians. Like Min. Smotrich sinister statements, this is an incitement to war crimes. Sanctions must be on our EU agenda.”
You can read the full story by my colleague, Jennifer Rankin, here:
Hamas has welcomed Hezbollah’s attack on Israel in a post on Telegram. The group described Hezbollah’s drone and rocket salvo against northern Israel as a “major qualitative response” that hit “vital and strategic targets”.
Hamas, the Palestinian militant group which is an ally of Hezbollah, commends the “strong and focused response” to the assassination of senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr.
“The crimes against the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples will not pass without a response,” it adds.
Hezbollah said it had used drones and more than 320 rockets against 11 Israeli military sites as a “first phase” of its response to the death of Shukr in an Israeli airstrike last month. It did not say when a second phase might come.
Updated
We reported earlier that Air France said it was suspending Beirut flights scheduled for Sunday and Monday (see key event at 11.18).
Air France’s subsidiary Transavia, which serves both destinations, is also halting its flights, a spokesperson has now confirmed.
German airline Lufthansa on Friday extended its Beirut flight suspension to the end of September, and said it would not fly to Tel Aviv and Tehran until 2 September.
Royal Jordanian Airlines announced the suspension of Beirut flights “due to the current situation”, and the UAE’s Etihad Airways said it had also cancelled its services to and from the Lebanese capital.
A spokesperson for British Airways said the airline has suspended its flights between London and Tel Aviv following the overnight escalation of hostilities in the Middle East.
Egypt warns visiting US general on risk of major conflict in Lebanon
Egypt’s president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, has warned America’s top general of the dangers of a major conflict in Lebanon.
US air force general, CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrived in Egypt hours after the missile exchange between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group.
In a statement, Sisi’s office said the Egyptian leader told Brown that the international community needed to “exert all efforts and intensify pressures to defuse tension and stop the state of escalation that threatens the security and stability of the entire region”.
The statement read:
(Sisi warned) in this regard of the dangers of opening a new front in Lebanon, and stressing the need to preserve Lebanon’s stability and sovereignty.
Israel’s foreign minister, Israel Katz, insisted earlier today that his country did not want a full-scale war but said it would “act according to developments on the ground”. Any Hezbollah missile attack on Israeli cities would be likely to trigger a massive Israeli response that would bring the prospect of an all-out war much closer.
Updated
Hezbollah official says response to top commander's killing was 'delayed by political considerations'
A Hezbollah official has said the group’s rocket and drone attack against Israel on Sunday in retaliation for a top commander’s killing last month had been delayed by “political considerations”, Reuters reported. The official said the group had “worked” to make sure its response to the killing of Fuad Shukr on 30 July would not trigger a full-scale war.
The main “ political consideration” was the ongoing talks on a ceasefire and hostage release deal for the Gaza Strip. Negotiators discussed new compromise proposals in Cairo on Saturday, seeking to bridge gaps between Israel and Hamas, but there was no indication of progress after hours of talks. There was no sign of any breakthrough on key sticking points, including Israel’s insistence that it must retain control of the so-called Philadelphi corridor, on the border between Gaza and Egypt.
Talks continue this week and American officials still believe that a deal is within reach, despite rising tensions between Israel and Lebanon.
Updated
British Airways suspends flights between London and Tel Aviv
British Airways has suspended its flights between London and Tel Aviv following an overnight escalation of hostilities in the Middle East.
A spokesperson for the airline said on Sunday: “We’ve been continually monitoring the situation in the Middle East and have taken the operational decision to suspend our flights to and from Tel Aviv up to and including Wednesday, 28 August.
“Safety is always our top priority, and we’re contacting customers to advise them of their travel options.”
Benjamin Netanyahu says attack on Lebanon is 'not the end of the story'
Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel’s action against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement in Lebanon “is not the end of the story”.
Israel’s prime minister said its air defences had intercepted all rockets and drones launched against the country, Reuters reports.
He also said that the leaders of Hezbollah and Iran should know that the response was “another step towards changing the situation in the north and returning our residents safely to their homes”.
Updated
At least 35 Palestinians have been detained in the past two days across the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society and the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs said in a statement.
Since October, the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society has said thousands of Palestinians have been arrested by Israeli forces there.
Human rights groups and international organisations have alleged widespread abuse of inmates detained by Israel in raids in the occupied West Bank, which Palestinians want as the core of a future independent state along with Gaza.
Neither side seem prepared for the realities of land warfare, but a small mistake may have deadly consequences, writes Julian Borger
Both sides have compelling reasons not to go to war now. Israel does not have the stamina for another front while it has not yet managed to eliminate Hamas completely in Gaza and with the West Bank being driven to the brink of a wider explosion of violence by hardline settlers and their backers inside the Israeli state.
For its part, Hezbollah’s leadership has assets to protect in Lebanon, political and economic, that would be devastated in a war with Israel. The group’s regional patron, Iran, is clearly not ready for a conflict either and has deferred for now its own threatened response to Israel’s killing of the Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month.
Hezbollah and Iran do not share the apocalyptic self-destructive impulses of Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas commander in Gaza, who launched his surprise 7 October attack on Israel based on the mistaken assumption his allies in Beirut and Tehran would join the battle.
We reported earlier that Air France said it was suspending Beirut flights scheduled for Sunday and Monday (see key event at 11.18).
Royal Jordanian Airlines announced the suspension of Beirut flights “due to the current situation”, and the UAE’s Etihad Airways said it had also cancelled its services to and from the Lebanese capital.
Most flights at Beirut airport have been cancelled and some have been diverted to Amman in Jordan, according to reports.
Flights out of the Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv were temporarily suspended this morning but resumed at about 7am local time.
Here is the moment an explosion occurred after an airstrike in the Lebanese city of Zibqin:
Summary of the day so far...
Israel carried out airstrikes in Lebanon on Sunday in what it described as a pre-emptive action before a planned large-scale Hezbollah attack, and Hezbollah launched a drone and rocket salvo against northern Israel.
Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese group, said it had fired 320 Katyusha rockets towards Israel and hit 11 military targets in what it called the first phase of its retaliation for Israel’s assassination of Fuad Shukr, a senior commander, last month.
Hezbollah later indicated it was not planning further strikes yet. Israel’s foreign minister said the country did not seek a full-scale war.
Three deaths were confirmed in Lebanon and none in Israel.
Israel’s security cabinet met at 7am (0400 GMT) and the full cabinet is meeting on Sunday afternoon. Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah will speak on television later on Sunday, the group said. This is expected to take place about 16:00 GMT.
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels praised attacks by Hezbollah on Israel and renewed threats to launch their own assault in response to Israeli strikes on a port in Yemen last month.
The White House said the US president, Joe Biden, was monitoring events, adding that Israel had the right to self-defence but that the US would “keep working for regional stability”.
Air France cancelled its flights to Tel Aviv and Beirut until Monday at least. Flights to and from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport were temporarily suspended this morning but have since been reinstated.
At least 40,405 Palestinian people have been killed and 93,468 injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Sunday. In the last 24-hours alone, 71 Palestinians were killed and 112 were injured in what the enclave’s health ministry called three “massacres” by Israel in the Gaza Strip.
You can read our full report on the Israeli strikes on Lebanon here.
In the last 24-hours alone, 71 Palestinians were killed and 112 were injured in what the enclave’s health ministry called three “massacres” by Israel in the Gaza Strip.
Emergency services are unable to reach many casualties trapped under the rubble, as Israeli forces continue to obstruct the movement of ambulance and civil defence crews, Wafa, the Palestinian news agency, has been told by sources on the ground.
Death toll in Gaza reaches 40,405, says health ministry
At least 40,405 Palestinian people have been killed and 93,468 injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
The ministry has said thousands of other dead people are most likely lost in the rubble of the enclave.
We have some more details on the emergency meeting Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati convened earlier today.
According to the state-run National News Agency, Mikati stressed during the meeting that he is “holding a series of contacts with Lebanon’s friends to stop the escalation”.
He also emphasised “Lebanon’s position in support of international efforts that could lead to a ceasefire in Gaza”.
Updated
Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, has said the Israeli army’s strikes against Hezbollah this morning were launched because of Israel’s “right and duty to defend itself and its citizens”.
Israel’s military said it conducted what it described as pre-emptive air strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon after detecting plans for a significant attack against its territory.
Praising those serving in the Israeli Defense Forces, Herzog said in a post on X:
The decisive action we witnessed early this morning epitomizes Israel’s right and duty to defend itself and its citizens against the threat of terrorism.
This is once again an opportunity to express our gratitude and support for our daughters and sons in the Israel Defense Forces, as well as in the security, emergency, and rescue services, for their relentless efforts across all battlefronts.
The decisive action we witnessed early this morning epitomizes Israel's right and duty to defend itself and its citizens against the threat of terrorism.
— יצחק הרצוג Isaac Herzog (@Isaac_Herzog) August 25, 2024
This is once again an opportunity to express our gratitude and support for our daughters and sons in the Israel Defense…
The Israeli president’s comments come after the US reaffirmed that Joe Biden will “keep supporting Israel’s right to defend itself” (see earlier post at 09.10 for more details).
Yemen's Houthis praise Hezbollah strikes on Israel
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels praised attacks by Hezbollah on Israel on Sunday and renewed threats to launch their own assault in response to Israeli strikes on a port in Yemen.
“We congratulate Hezbollah and its secretary-general on the great and courageous attack carried out by the resistance this morning against the Israeli enemy,” the Houthis said in a statement.
The Yemeni rebels said the “strong and effective response… confirms that the resistance is capable, strong and honest in its promise and threats.”
The Houthis pledged to launch their own attacks against Israel in response to July 20 strikes that targeted a rebel-run port in the coastal city of Hodeidah.
“We reaffirm once again that the Yemeni response is definitely coming,” the statement said.
The strike on Hodeida came a day after the Houthis launched their first deadly strike on Israel - a drone attack in Tel Aviv that killed an Israeli civilian.
Israel’s response destroyed much of the port’s fuel storage capacity and killed at least nine people, according to the rebels.
The Houthis have launched rockets, missiles and drones at commercial vessels during Israel’s war on Gaza, saying they are showing solidarity with Palestinians.
The Houthis, who have limited popular support in Yemen outside of their northern base, are seen as more independent of Iran than some of the other groups in the alliance.
Updated
Air France cancels flights to Tel Aviv and Beirut
Air France has cancelled its flights to Tel Aviv and Beirut until Monday at least, the company said after Hezbollah launched rockets and drones at Israel on Sunday and Israel’s military said it struck Lebanon with about 100 jets.
“Resuming these routes will be subject to a new assessment of the security situation,” the airline said in a statement. “Air France reiterates that the safety of its customers and crews is its absolute priority.”
Flights to and from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport were temporarily suspended this morning but have since been reinstated.
Updated
The fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah, the Iran backed Lebanese militant group, has killed hundreds of people, mostly in Lebanon, and displaced tens of thousands of residents in both southern Lebanon and northern Israel.
About 605 people have been killed on the Lebanese side, mostly Hezbollah fighters, but including at least 131 civilians, according to a tally compiled by Agence France-Presse.
On the Israeli side, including in the annexed Golan Heights, authorities say 23 soldiers and 26 civilians have been killed.
There have been near daily exchanges of fire across the Israel-Lebanon border since 7 October 2023, when Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, stormed into Israeli communities and military bases, killing around 1,200 people and abducting about 240 hostages.
Although a Sunni muslim group, Hamas leaders have moved closer to Shiite muslim Iran and its allies over the years.
Updated
We have been reporting on the major escalation of cross-border hostilities after Israel struck Lebanon and Hezbollah said it launched attacks on Israeli positions. You can read our news report on the latest developments here.
A security source in Lebanon has now told Reuters that at least 40 Israeli strikes hit various towns in the country’s south.
One of the strikes on the town of Khiam killed one fighter from the Hezbollah-allied Shi’ite group Amal, two security sources told the outlet. Amal later announced his death.
Updated
Here are some of the latest images coming out of the newswires from Gaza:
Medical sources have told Al Jazeera that women and children were among the eight people who were killed in an overnight Israeli attack in the eastern part of the central Gaza town of Deir al-Balah.
Six of the Palestinians killed are thought to be from the same family, the outlet reported.
Updated
The Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon (Unscol) and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil), which monitor hostilities along the demarcation line between Lebanon and Israel, described the developments on the Lebanese-Israeli border as ‘worrying” and called on all parties to refrain from further escalation.
The joint statement read:
In light of worrying developments across the Blue Line since the early morning, Unscol and Unifil call on all to cease fire and refrain from further escalatory action.
A return to the cessation of hostilities, followed by the implementation of UN security council resolution 1701, is the only sustainable way forward.
We will continue our contacts to strongly urge for de-escalation.
Egypt has also warned against the dangers of opening a new war front in Lebanon and has called for regional stability.
Most analysts agree that neither Israel nor Hezbollah want a full-scale war, which would risk involving both Iran and the US.
Updated
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said 14,750 children Palestinian children between six months and five years of age have been diagnosed with acute malnutrition after being screened in the Gaza Strip.
Since mid-January, close to 240,000 children between six months and five years of age have been screened for malnutrition in Gaza.
Of all children screened, 14,750 were diagnosed with acute malnutrition, Of them 3,288 with diagnosed with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM).
Most children under five in Gaza are spending entire days without eating anything at all. A snapshot survey, looking at food access over three days in May, found that 85% spent at least one day without food, according to the WHO.
The agency said it is supporting the malnutrition treatment centre at Kamal Adwan, one of four such facilities still operational in Gaza after heavy Israeli bombardment.
UN humanitarian agency OCHA said in a Friday update that the amount of food aid entering Gaza in July was one of the lowest since October, when Israel imposed a full siege.
OCHA said that in July the number of children with acute malnutrition in northern Gaza was four times higher than in May, while in the more accessible south, where fighting is less severe, the number more than doubled.
The UN high commissioner for human rights, Volker Türk, has said Israeli restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza may amount to the war crime of deliberate starvation. Entry into Gaza is controlled by Israeli authorities, movements require military permission, roads are damaged by rubble, fuel is in short supply and power and communications networks barely function.
A major regional war in the Middle East is 'a real danger', UK cabinet minister says
A cabinet minister in the UK has said the government is “very concerned” after Israel carried out airstrikes in Lebanon and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Shia Muslim group, launched a drone and rocket salvo against northern Israel.
The chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster, Pat McFadden, has called for restraint from both sides in order to avoid a “major regional war” in the Middle East.
Speaking to Sky News, he said:
Even as this unfolds, the UK government and the international community would urge all parties not to escalate further and to avoid a major regional war. That is the real danger facing the area.
We hope this doesn’t turn out to be that and we hope that afterwards we can de-escalate the situation.
'The UK govt and the international community would urge all parties not to escalate further and to avoid a major regional war'
— Sky News (@SkyNews) August 25, 2024
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster @patmcfaddenmp reacts to the strikes from both Hezbollah and Israel.https://t.co/TEjRYYDMsu
📺 Sky 501 pic.twitter.com/6uO2PI02pK
The British prime minister, Keir Starmer, warned Iran’s president in a phone call this month not to attack Israel.
Israeli military says it has struck more Hezbollah launchers in south Lebanon
Israel’s military said it carried out further attacks against Hezbollah rocket launchers in southern Lebanon on Sunday, hours after it announced what it framed as a pre-emptive strike against the Lebanese group.
“In the last hour, the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) struck Hezbollah launchers in several areas in southern Lebanon to remove threats,” the military said.
Israel said earlier that it expected an “extensive” Hezbollah response and declared a 48-hour state of emergency, giving the military special powers.
Updated
In the US, a spokesperson for the national security council, Sean Savett, said Joe Biden was closely monitoring the situation in Israel and Lebanon.
Savett said:
At his direction, senior US officials have been communicating continuously with their Israeli counterparts.
We will keep supporting Israel’s right to defend itself, and we will keep working for regional stability.
As we reported earlier (see post at 05.05), the US defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, about Israel’s defences against Hezbollah.
Austin “reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s defense against any attacks by Iran and its regional partners and proxies,” a statement said.
In a post on X, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said Israel’s strikes in Lebanon this morning were a “necessary act of self-defence”.
“The actions of the Israeli air force this morning are a justified and necessary act of self-defense against a terrorist organization which planned to fire indiscriminately at Israeli civilians,” he wrote.
The actions of the Israeli Air Force this morning are a justified and necessary act of self-defense against a terrorist organization which planned to fire indiscriminately at Israeli civilians.
— יאיר לפיד - Yair Lapid (@yairlapid) August 25, 2024
The world should offer its
unequivocal support for Israel’s right to defend itself.
Turkey’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, and his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araqchi, discussed Israel war’s on Gaza and developments in the region in a call, a Turkish diplomatic source told Reuters on Sunday.
Fears have risen over the potential for a regional war in the Middle East after Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah and Hamas leaders towards the end of last month. Today’s airstrikes on Lebanon and Israel are a major escalation in tensions.
Israel’s foreign minister, Israel Katz, said earlier that his government was not interested in an “all-out war”.
Lebanese prime minister calls emergency cabinet meeting over Israeli strikes
Lebanese caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati called for an emergency cabinet meeting at 10:30 am (8:30 GMT) to discuss the series of Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon’s south early Sunday morning.
Israel launched over 40 airstrikes in southern Lebanon early Sunday morning in what it said was an attempt to head off a wide-ranging Hezbollah attack against it. Three people were killed in Lebanon as a result of the strikes, including a fighter in the Hezbollah-allied Amal political party. Four people were also lightly injured.
The series of Israeli strikes was one of the most intense since fighting began between Hezbollah and Israel in the wake of Hamas’s 7 October attack. Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that wildfires broke out as a result of the Israeli strikes.
Hezbollah claimed that Israel’s pre-emptive strikes did not affect its attack, and that all of its drones were launched “as planned”.
The Lebanese group struck 11 military bases in north Israel and launched over 320 rockets before announcing the end of its military operation, which it said was in retaliation for Israel’s killing of its top military commander, Fouad Shukr, in Beirut a month prior.
Israeli officials said that its pre-emptive action prevented strikes from reaching central Israel. The secretary-general of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, announced he would make a speech at 6pm today.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) has given some details about the Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon this morning.
Israel reportedly targeted Chqif castle, the outskirts of the towns of Ain Qana, Sajd, Kfar Fila and Sarba, as well as Kfar Fila, Louaizeh, Bsalia, Kfar Melki and the Bir Kalb area.
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Summary
Here’s an overview of the key developments in today’s Israel-Hezbollah hostilities.
The Israel Defense Forces said early on Sunday it had launched strikes inside Lebanon after assessing that the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement was preparing to fire rockets and missiles towards Israel. Air raid sirens were reported throughout northern Israel. Israeli military spokesperson Rear Adm Daniel Hagari said 100 warplanes struck more than 40 Hezbollah launch areas, eliminating thousands of rocket launcher barrels aimed for immediate fire towards Israel.
Hezbollah said it fired more than 320 rockets, hit 11 Israeli military sites and sent drones flying into northern Israel on Sunday in response to Israel’s killing of the group’s top commander in a strike in Beirut last month. Hezbollah had vowed a significant response to the killing of Fouad Shukur, raising fears of an escalation into all-out war.
Israel’s defence minister, Yoav Gallant, declared a 48-hour state of emergency, giving the Israeli military powers to issue restrictions on civilian movement. The Israeli security cabinet was due to meet on Sunday morning. Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would take all measures necessary to defend itself and that “whoever harms us, we harm him”.
A person was killed in an Israeli drone strike on a car in the town of Khiam in south Lebanon, while at least four others were reported as injured in separate strikes, a medical source told the Guardian.
Israel sustained “very little damage” from Hezbollah’s rocket attacks, according to the military. “We’re still in a situation assessment of the aftermath of the attack,” Israeli military spokesperson Lieut-Col Nadav Shoshani said. “But I can tell you there was a little damage ... very little damage.”
Gallant spoke to his US counterpart, Lloyd Austin, about the airstrikes on Lebanon, assuring the defence secretary they were defensive in nature. US National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett said President Joe Biden was “closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon” and that at his direction “senior US officials have been communicating continuously with their Israeli counterparts”.
Hezbollah said it had targeted an identified “special military target” as well as Israel’s Iron Dome platforms and other sites. It later said Sunday’s military operation was “completed” for the day, while denying that Israel’s pre-emptive strikes affected its own operation.
Flights to and from Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv were suspended for about 90 minutes. The airports authority said normal operations were expected to resume by 7am.
The attacks came as Egypt hosts a new round of talks aimed at ending Israel’s war with Hamas, now in its 11th month.
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Hezbollah strikes caused 'little damage', says Israel
Israel sustained “very little damage” from Hezbollah’s rocket attacks on Sunday, according to the military.
“We’re still in a situation assessment of the aftermath of the attack ... there is still some fire happening,” Israeli military spokesperson Lieut-Col Nadav Shoshani said.
“But I can tell you there was a little damage ... very little damage.”
Agence France-Presse also reports that Shoshani said the fire from Hezbollah was “part of a larger attack that was planned and we were able to thwart a big part of it this morning”, while declining to specify what Hezbollah had targeted.
The Israeli military said its fighter jets attacked thousands of Hezbollah rocket launchers in south Lebanon on Sunday morning that were aimed at northern and central Israel, and that Hezbollah in turn fired hundreds of rockets and drones towards northern Israel, most of them after Israel launched its attack.
Shoshani said Israel’s partners, including the US, did not take part in Sunday’s attack on Hezbollah.
“This morning was an Israeli operation,” he said.
Netanyahu: 'Whoever harms us, we harm him'
Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will take all measures necessary to defend itself and that it will harm “whoever harms us”.
Reuters quotes the Israeli prime minister as saying in a statement:
We are determined to do everything possible to defend our country, to return the residents of the north safely to their homes and to continue to uphold a simple rule: whoever harms us, we harm him.
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Hezbollah announces end of its attack
William Christou reports:
Hezbollah said Sunday’s military operation was “completed” for the day, after carrying out a barrage of drone and rocket attacks against military targets in north Israel in the early morning.
The Lebanese group denied that Israel’s pre-emptive strikes, launched just before its own attack, affected its own operation.
“The enemy’s claims about the pre-emptive action it carried out, the targets it struck and its disruption of the resistance’s [Hezbollah] attack, are empty,” Hezbollah’s statement read. It added that all drones were launched as scheduled “towards the desired targets”.
Hezbollah said its attack was in retaliation for the killing of its top military commander, Fouad Shukur, by Israel a month earlier. It struck 11 military sites in north Israel with drones and more than 320 rockets. To counter the attacks, Israel carried out dozens of airstrikes across south Lebanon on Sunday morning, killing at least one and wounding four others.
The Lebanese group further announced that its secretary general, Hassan Nasrallah, would deliver a speech soon, without specifying the date.
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We’ve just launched a full report on today’s fighting between Israel and Hezbollah and the increasing risk of a regional war in the Middle East. Read it here:
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One killed and at least four injured in Israeli strikes in Lebanon
William Christou reports:
A person was killed in an Israeli drone strike on a car in the town of Khiam in south Lebanon on Sunday morning, while at least four others were reported as injured in separate strikes, a medical source told the Guardian.
The source said they could not yet determine the identity of the deceased, explaining that first responders’ movements were restricted due to the ongoing airstrikes and drone activity in south Lebanon.
More than 15 first responders have been killed in Lebanon since fighting began between Hezbollah and Israel in the wake of Hamas’s 7 October attack.
Israel carried out at least 40 airstrikes in south Lebanon in the early hours of Sunday morning in what it said was pre-emptive action against a coming Hezbollah attack. Hezbollah then launched a barrage of rockets and drones at Israel in retaliation for the killing of its top military commander, Fouad Shukur, a month earlier.
Israeli continued to carry out airstrikes in Lebanon through the morning as prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with his security cabinet.
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Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Daniel Hagari said about 100 Israeli air force fighter jets were involved in attacking and destroying “thousands” of Hezbollah launch pads in southern Lebanon.
He said in a post on X (translated here from Hebrew):
Most of them were directed towards the north and some towards the centre of the country. Also, over 40 launch sites were attacked.
כ-100 מטוסי קרב של חיל האוויר, בהכוונת פיקוד הצפון ואגף המודיעין, תקפו והשמידו אלפי קני שיגור של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה שמוקמו והוטמנו במרחב דרום לבנון. רובם כוונו לעבר הצפון וחלקם לעבר מרכז הארץ.
— דובר צה״ל דניאל הגרי - Daniel Hagari (@IDFSpokesperson) August 25, 2024
כמו כן, הותקפו למעלה מ-40 מרחבי שיגור pic.twitter.com/zTAmG9GZsW
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Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz has said Israel will respond to developments on the ground but does not seek a full-scale war, while defence minister Yoav Gallant said Israel would do whatever necessary to defend itself, Reuters reports.
Most of the Israeli strikes were hitting targets in southern Lebanon but the military was ready to strike anywhere there was a threat, an Israeli military spokesperson said.
As reported earlier, Gallant declared a 48-hour state of emergency, and flights to and from Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv were suspended for about 90 minutes, but the airports authority said normal operations were expected to resume by 7am.
In northern Israel, warning sirens sounded and multiple explosions were heard around several areas as Israel’s Iron Dome aerial defence system shot down rockets coming from southern Lebanon. Israel’s Magen David Adom ambulance service said it was on high alert all over the country.
The Israeli military issued civil defence instructions from central Israel to the north, limiting gatherings but authorising people to go to work as long as they were able to reach air raid shelters quickly. There were no casualties immediately reported in Israel, according to the ambulance service.
One injured as Israel continues strikes on Lebanon
William Christou reports:
Israel continued to carry out airstrikes in south Lebanon on Sunday morning, as Israeli officials vowed to target any areas from which Hezbollah was attacking it.
Warplanes flew low over border villages and launched at least three airstrikes as residents still in the south braced themselves for further attacks.
The strikes came off the back of a chain of Israeli bombings at dawn, which Israel labelled “pre-emptive”, as Hezbollah geared up to launch a wave of drone and rocket attacks. Despite Israel’s attack, Hezbollah said its operation was a “complete success”, hitting 11 Israeli military sites and launching over 320 rockets, mostly concentrated in the upper Galilee region.
Hezbollah said its Sunday attack was in response to the assassination of its top military commander, Fouad Shukur, in Beirut nearly a month before.
Despite the wide-ranging Israeli strikes in south Lebanon, only one injury – a Syrian national who suffered light wounds in the town of Qasimiyeh, south Lebanon – was reported.
“Most of the strikes were in the valleys [away from populated areas], and besides the Syrian, we have no injuries,” a source within a first responder organisation that serves south Lebanon told the Guardian.
Hezbollah fighters are known to use the heavily forested areas of south Lebanon for cover as they carry out attacks against Israel.
Hezbollah said in a statement on Sunday that it would respond “harshly” if any civilians were harmed by Israel. The group said the “first phase” of its operation was finished but did not clarify if more attacks would be coming.
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Here’s a just-launched rundown on all the main points we know so far about today’s cross-border fighting:
This photo has arrived of smoke rising from the southern Lebanese town of Khiam today amid the Israeli-Hezbollah hostilities. The shot is taken from Marjayoun, near the border with Israel.
Here are some aerial images of today’s fighting.
Why has Hezbollah attacked Israel?
William Christou reports:
Hezbollah’s attack on Sunday morning comes after nearly a month of anticipation for the Iranian-backed group’s promised retaliation for the killing of its top military commander, Fouad Shukur, by Israel on 30 July.
Shukur was a founding member of Hezbollah and its de-facto military chief of staff. He was the highest-ranking member of the Lebanese group killed since fighting between Israel and Hezbollah started in the aftermath of Hamas’s 7 October attack.
His assassination came after 12 children were killed by a missile strike in Majdal Shams, a town in the occupied Syrian Golan heights. Israel blamed Hezbollah for the strike – a claim the Lebanese group has denied.
Hezbollah secretary general Hassan Nasrallah vowed there would be a “serious and effective” retaliation for the assassination of Shukur in Beirut, but gave no hint where and how this attack would take place. The day after his killing, the late leader of Hamas, Ismayel Haniyeh, was assassinated in Tehran, prompting Iran to also pledge revenge against Israel.
US and Israeli officials have issued a series of warnings since early August that a likely-coordinated Hezbollah and Iranian response was imminent. An emergency round of Gaza ceasefire negotiations were convened in Cairo and Doha starting on 15 August, in large part to delay an anticipated attack by Iran and Hezbollah.
The talks have so far not made progress.
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US president Joe Biden is “closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon”, according to a spokesperson for the National Security Council, Sean Savett.
“At his direction, senior US officials have been communicating continuously with their Israeli counterparts,” Savett said.
We will keep supporting Israel’s right to defend itself, and we will keep working for regional stability.
Israel’s Ben Gurion airport is expected to resume operations at 0400 GMT on Sunday, the airports authority said, lifting a suspension imposed in response to an attack from Hezbollah.
Reuters quoted the airport as saying: “Aircraft that were diverted to alternative airports, including Ramon airport, will take off and head back to Ben Gurion airport.”
Circling back to Lloyd Austin and Yoav Gallant speaking, the Pentagon said the US defence secretary reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to Israel’s defence.
Reuters reports that a Pentagon readout of the call said Austin spoke with the Israeli defence minister “to discuss Israel’s defence against Lebanese [Hezbollah] attacks”.
Secretary Austin reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s defence against any attacks by Iran and its regional partners and proxies.
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Hezbollah says ‘first phase’ of attack against Israel complete
William Christou reports:
Hezbollah said in a statement on Sunday morning that the “first phase” of its attack against Israel was completed, saying it was a response for the killing of its top commander in Beirut nearly a month ago.
The Iran-backed group said it had successfully targeted 11 Israeli military sites with drones and over 320 Katyusha rockets.
It added that it would release further details about its attack against Israel soon.
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Israel’s defence minister, Yoav Gallant, has just been speaking to his US counterpart, Lloyd Austin, about the airstrikes on Lebanon, assuring the defence secretary they were defensive in nature and that Israel
“Minister Gallant and secretary Austin discussed the importance of avoiding regional escalation,” the Israeli defence ministry said in a statement.
But it added:
Minister Gallant emphasised that Israel’s defence establishment is determined to defend the citizens of Israel and will use all the means at its disposal to remove imminent threats.
“The defence establishment is following developments in Beirut and is prepared to deploy defensive and offensive means,” the statement said.
“Minister Gallant expressed his appreciation to secretary Austin for standing with Israel and for the ongoing cooperation, which contributes to the security of the state of Israel and to regional stability.”
For context on today’s strikes, Israel and Hezbollah have traded near-daily cross-border fire since the outbreak of the war triggered by Hamas’s attack on Israel last 7 October.
Agence France-Presse reports that fears that the deadly exchanges could escalate into a full-scale conflict in Lebanon have only grown since Hezbollah’s chief said his group was “obliged to respond” to Israel “whatever the consequences” after the Beirut strike last month that killed its military commander Fuad Shukr.
Hezbollah would retaliate “alone or in the context of a unified response from all the axis” of Iran-backed groups in the region, he added.
Shukr’s killing, and that of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Beirut hours later – prompting fury from Hamas backer Iran as well as Hezbollah – sent fears of a wider war soaring.
Hamas’s October attack on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,199 people, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has killed 40,334 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Israeli defence minister declares 48-hour state of emergency
Israel’s defence minister, Yoav Gallant, has declared a state of emergency for the next 48 hours, a declaration which gives the Israel Defense Forces powers to issue restrictions on civilian movement.
Gallant and the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, were shown at a situation room in the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv, known as the Kirya, from where Netanyahu’s office said they were “managing the situation”.
יחד עם ראש הממשלה בקריה - עוקבים מקרוב אחר פעולות צה״ל הנעשות להסרת האיומים השונים. pic.twitter.com/GER77ZJEZY
— יואב גלנט - Yoav Gallant (@yoavgallant) August 25, 2024
The Israeli security cabinet is due to meet imminently, at 7am local time.
Following the latest situation assessment, Gallant had declared a “special situation on the home front” across Israel, the defence ministry said in a statement.
The declaration on the state of emergency enables the IDF to issue instructions to the citizens of Israel, including limiting gatherings and closing sites where it may be relevant.
Israeli military observers had predicted a significant Hezbollah attack in revenge for earlier Israeli air strikes against its leadership. They noted that Sunday evening marked the start of the Shia holiday of Arbaeen (40 days) marking the end of the annual mourning period for the death of the Prophet Mohammed’s grandson, Hussein, a symbol of resistance and solidarity.
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Hezbollah says it has begun attacking Israel
Hezbollah said it had begun an attack on Israel with a large number of drones and rockets in response for the killing of its top commander in a Beirut suburb last month.
The Iranian-backed, Lebanon-based group said on Sunday it targeted an identified “special military target” as well as Israel’s Iron Dome platforms and other sites but that the full response would take “some time”, Reuters reports.
Israel says strikes on Hezbollah are in 'self-defence'
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are depicting their air strikes as a pre-emptive action in “self-defence” in the face of an imminent Hezbollah missile and rocket attack, and warned an “extensive” Hezbollah response is imminent. The all-important question now is whether the cycle of escalation can be contained before it becomes an all-out war.
The Israeli news agency Ynet cited reports from Lebanon saying the air force struck 40 targets, and that Hezbollah fired what it claimed were 150 rockets in sustained barrages into northern Israel. Israel is now braced for Hezbollah to use its longer-range missiles against Israeli cities further south.
The IDF spokesman, Daniel Hagari, said:
Hezbollah will soon fire rockets, and possibly missiles and UAVs [drones], towards Israeli territory.
From right next to the homes of Lebanese civilians in the South of Lebanon, we can see that Hezbollah is preparing to launch an extensive attack on Israel, while endangering Lebanese civilians.
We warn the civilians located in the areas where Hezbollah is operating to move out of harm’s way immediately for their own safety. Hezbollah’s ongoing aggression risks dragging the people of Lebanon, the people of Israel, and the whole region, into a wider escalation.
The scale of Israel’s response to any such attack will also help determine whether this escalation on its northern border can be contained or not.
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The Israel Defense Forces posted on X that Hezbollah “has just launched over 150 projectiles from Lebanon toward Israeli territory”.
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Lebanese media reported strikes in the country’s south while social media footage showed what appeared to be strikes in southern Lebanon, the Associated Press reports.
Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said Hezbollah would “soon fire rockets and possibly missiles” and drones into Israel.
Sirens began sounding in northern Israel soon after the warning, and additional sirens later joined in across the north.
Israel launched the airstrikes inside Lebanon early on Sunday that its military said targeted Hezbollah positions.
Opening summary
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the crisis in the Middle East. It is approaching 6.15am in Tel Aviv and Beirut.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says it has launched strikes inside Lebanon after assessing that the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement was preparing to fire rockets and missiles towards Israel.
“The IDF identified the Hezbollah terrorist organisation preparing to fire missiles and rockets toward Israeli territory,” the IDF said in a statement. “In response to these threats, the IDF is striking terror targets in Lebanon.”
Flights to and from Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv were suspended, and Israel’s cabinet was to meet at 7am (4am GMT), Israeli media reported.
Hezbollah did not immediately comment on the strikes, which came amid heightened expectations of an escalation between the two sides since a missile strike in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights last month killed 12 youngsters and the Israeli military assassinated a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut in response.
The IDF said new civil defence instructions would be issued to the population shortly. It warned civilians in southern Lebanon to stay away from areas where Hezbollah operates.
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