Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged heavy fire after Israel launched what it called pre-emptive strikes on targets in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah says its attack is the ‘first phase’ of retaliation for the killing of its commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut last month.
Israel briefly suspended all flights in and out of Ben Gurion International airport in Tel Aviv and an ’emergency situation’ was declared by the Israeli Defence Minister.
The escalation coming as Gaza ceasefire negotiations take place in Cairo.
Sunday’s violence was among the biggest exchanges of fire since hostilities began between Israel and Hezbollah in parallel with the eruption of Israel’s war against the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza.
Around 100 Israeli jets struck more than 40 Hezbollah launch sites in southern Lebanon shortly before the strikes, destroying thousands of launcher barrels that were aimed mainly at northern Israel but with some targets in central areas, the Israeli military said in a statement.
Presented by Janice Petersen
00:00 Israel and Hezbollah exchange heavy fire across Lebanon’s border
02:20 Talks in Cairo face major hurdles including on Gaza’s Netzarim Corridor
03:24 Israelis continue to rally for a hostage deal in Tel Aviv
03:50 Sarah Coates updates with the latest from Tel Aviv
SBS News is Australia’s trusted news source for the latest news from Australia and across the world.
For more on this story, visit: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/israel-says-it-has-launched-lebanon-strikes-to-prevent-large-scale-hezbollah-attack/k2pyqxoo7
You can also:
Subscribe to the SBS News YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@SBSNews
Follow SBS News on Instagram: www.instagram.com/sbsnews_au
Follow SBS News on TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@sbsnews_au
Follow SBS News on X: www.twitter.com/SBSNews
Follow SBS News on Facebook: www.facebook.com/sbsnews
Apple News: https://trib.al/MTx0gUe
For the latest news, visit www.sbs.com.au/news
Network Terms & Conditions: sbs.com.au/terms
Privacy Policy: sbs.com.au/privacy
Feedback or complaints: sbs.com.au/complaints
source
