Israelis woke up Sunday to air raid sirens across the northern portion of the country as Hezbollah fired scores of rockets, causing damage and fires in open areas, but not causing any serious injuries, thanks to Israel’s defenses.
On Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched waves of airstrikes against Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon, hitting 400 targets, including rocket launchers that the Iranian-backed terror group was about to activate.
In a statement, the IDF said early Sunday morning:
Since the afternoon, with the direction of the IDF Intelligence Directorate, the IAF struck approximately 290 targets, including thousands of launcher barrels, alongside additional terrorist infrastructure in multiple areas in southern Lebanon.
Over the past few hours, in an additional series of strikes, the IDF struck approximately 110 Hezbollah terrorist targets, including launchers and terrorist infrastructure in multiple areas in southern Lebanon.
The IDF will continue operating to dismantle and degrade Hezbollah’s capabilities and terrorist infrastructure.
Later, when Hezbollah began firing at Israeli communities in the north, the IDF said:
Following the sirens that sounded between 6:24 and 6:32 and between 6:52 and 07:00 in numerous areas in northern Israel, approximately 85 projectiles were identified crossing from Lebanon into Israeli territory. Some of the projectiles were intercepted, and fallen projectiles were identified in the areas of Kiryat Bialik, Tsur Shalom, and Moreshet. Israel Fire and Rescue Services are currently operating to extinguish numerous fires that were ignited in the area.
Following the sirens that sounded at 4:48 and 5:10 in the Jezreel Valley area, approximately 20 projectiles were identified crossing from Lebanon into Israeli territory. Most of the projectiles were intercepted, and the rest fell in open areas. No injuries were reported.
Hezbollah appeared to be targeting Israeli air bases, according to Israel’s Army Radio, but only hit civilian areas and open spaces.
Schools were closed for in-person learning in Haifa and communities to the north.
The Israeli military also intercepted missiles fired at the country from Iraq, presumably from Iranian-backed militias.
Asked by the anchor on Army Radio whether the escalation represented the “Third Lebanon War,” or just a step toward it, a correspondent said that it was just a step, but most Israelis expect war, and have been preparing for it.
The escalation came after several days in which Israel surprised Hezbollah leaders with exploding pagers and walkie-talkies, as well as precision airstrikes. Hezbollah attacked Israel without provocation in October, and has fired at northern Israel for months.
War with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon would be the “second front” that U.S. President Joe Biden sought to avoid when he warned Hezbollah and Iran last October, “Don’t.” That warning seems to have failed, as Israel fights alone.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
