Hezbollah begins retaliation against Israel after Shukr assassination

Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
Hezbollah said on Sunday morning that the first stage of its retaliation against Israel for the assassination of a senior commander last month was “successfully completed”.
The Lebanese militant group said it targeted 11 Israeli military sites with more than 320 Katyusha rockets, adding that it will release further details later.
Earlier on Sunday, Hezbollah announced the start of a large-scale attack in retaliation for the assassination of its senior commander Fouad Shukr. It said it “launched an aerial attack using a large number of drones” on Israeli territory.
About an hour before the statement, the Israeli army said it launched preemptive strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“A short while ago, the IDF identified the Hezbollah terrorist organisation preparing to fire missiles and rockets toward Israeli territory”, Israeli military spokesman Admiral Daniel Hagari said on Sunday.
‌‏”In a self-defence 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.”
Israel’s international Ben Gurion airport has cancelled all take-offs and landings for several hours, the country’s airport authority said.
“Due to the security situation, the morning departures from Ben Gurion International Airport will be postponed, and will not take off in the next few hours,” the authority said. “Flights en route to Ben Gurion will be directed to land at alternative airports in the region.”
The airport has since reopened.
The Israeli Ministry of Defence declared a state of emergency across the entire territory of Israel for 48 hours.
“We are removing threats against the Israeli home front. Dozens of IAF jets are currently striking targets in various locations in southern Lebanon,” Mr Hagari said.
While Israeli strikes targeted southern Lebanon, most of the projectiles launched by Hezbollah were aimed at military bases in the occupied Golan Heights.
Fears of a regional war have spread after the double assassination of Mr Shukr in Beirut and Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran, both attributed to Israel.
Both Iran and Hezbollah had vowed retaliation.
At least than 601 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since the cross-border conflict broke out in October in parallel with Israel’s war on Gaza. While most deaths have been Hezbollah members or allied fighters, at least 131 civilians have also been killed.
The Israeli authorities have announced the deaths of at least 23 soldiers and 26 civilians since the fighting began, including in the annexed Golan Heights.
The escalation in attacks on Sunday comes amid growing fears of a regional war and talks in Cairo between aimed at reaching a ceasefire deal in Gaza. Hezbollah and other Iran-backed proxy groups in the region have said they will abide by a truce if Hamas agrees to it.
“We continue to closely monitor the situation and have been very clear that the US is postured to support the defense of Israel,” Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder said following the strikes.