Hezbollah launched an attack on Israel with more than 320 missiles and drones in retaliation for the killing of its military wing’s top commander Fouad Shoukr last month in a suburb of Beirut.
According to Hezbollah, which announced that it had completed the “first phase” of the attack, 11 military bases were targeted, as well as Israel’s Iron Dome.
#WATCH: Iron Dome intercepts rockets launched by Hezbollah at civilian areas in northern Israel pic.twitter.com/b0UcnycPUV
— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) August 25, 2024
The Israeli armed forces announced for their part that they launched dozens of airstrikes in Lebanon as a precaution, because they detected preparations by the Lebanese armed movement Hezbollah for a “wide-scale” attack against Israel.
The armed forces activated air defense sirens, which call residents to rush to shelters, in the northern part of the country, a sector neighboring Lebanon.
Netanyahu: Whoever hurts us, we hurt him too
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallad declared a state of emergency in the country for the next 48 hours and Benjamin Netanyahu convened an emergency security council.
Israel said it would take all necessary measures to defend itself after Iran-backed Hezbollah fired hundreds of rockets and drones in retaliation for the killing of its leader, Fouad Shoukr, in a suburb of Beirut last month.
“We are determined to do everything possible to defend our country, return the people of the north safely to their homes, and continue to uphold one simple rule: Whoever hurts us, we hurt him,” he said in a statement. of.
#WATCH: Israeli air defenses repel Hezbollah rockets launched at civilians in northern Israel pic.twitter.com/0umnUs7U2q
— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) August 25, 2024
Problems with flights
All flights that were going to depart from Tel Aviv will be delayed, while those destined for the Israeli metropolis were diverted to other destinations, the company that manages Ben Gurion Airport announced a while ago.
In a message via Instagram the operating company cited the “security situation” and urged travelers to consult their airlines for more information.
Ben Gurion airport right now — all flights to and from Israel cancelled until at least 10 am pic.twitter.com/Kz78qbcabe
— Emily Schrader – אמילי שרידר Emily Schrader (@emilykschrader) August 25, 2024
The US is on Israel’s side
A spokesman for the US President’s National Security Council announced that Washington “will continue to support Israel’s right to defend itself”.
President Joe Biden has instructed his team to be in constant contact with the Israeli government.
Fears of further military escalation, the outbreak of all-out war, intensified after the death of Fouad Shukr, a leading figure in Hezbollah’s military arm, in an Israeli bombardment in a southern suburb of Beirut, and that a few hours later of Ismail Haniya, the leader of Hamas. , in Tehran. Iran and Hezbollah blamed Israel for the killing and vowed revenge.
Hundreds dead
Since October 8, more than 600 people have been killed in Lebanon, mainly Hezbollah fighters, but also 131 civilians, including journalists, according to an AFP count. On the other side, in Israel and the occupied and annexed Syrian Golan Heights, 23 military personnel and 26 civilians have been killed, according to official Israeli data.
In the Gaza Strip, relentless Israeli shelling killed nearly 50 Palestinians last Friday and Saturday, according to civil protection and first aid services in the enclave, while the Israeli army said three reservists were killed.
The hope of a truce is dying
Against this background, talks were held yesterday in Cairo in order to conclude an agreement for a truce, the chances of which, however, seem slim.
The new round of negotiations began Thursday in the Egyptian capital, with Mossad (Israeli spy) chief David Barnea and Shin Bet (counterintelligence) chief Ronen Barr, CIA director William Burns, White House Middle East coordinator Brett Barnea present. McGurk, as well as the heads of the intelligence services of Egypt and Qatar.
A Hamas delegation went to Cairo, not expected to participate in the talks. He was due to meet with an Egyptian official last night (24/8), a Palestinian Islamist movement official said.
For months, mediators have been trying to convince the warring sides to declare a truce, to stop at least for a while the war that is in its 324th day, but to no avail. The only respite was a week-long ceasefire in November.
Netanyahu declares at every opportunity that he will continue the war until Hamas is completely dismantled. Hamas took power in the Gaza Strip in 2007 and is designated a terrorist organization by Israel, as are the US and the EU, following the October 7 attack. Then 1,199 Israelis died, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli data.
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