Israeli Army Neutralizes Hezbollah's Attempt to Fire 'Hundreds of Rockets and Drones at the Center and North' of the Country

Daniel Hagari, spokesperson for the Israeli army, said on Sunday that the army neutralized Hezbollah's attempt to launch hundreds of rockets towards northern Israel and several drones towards the center of the country. He stated, "Before dawn, we identified Hezbollah's preparations for an attack against the north and center [of Israel]. About 100 Israeli Air Force fighters conducted preemptive strikes to eliminate the threats." Hagari added that the army targeted "hundreds of rocket launchers prepared for thousands of launches," most of which were aimed at northern Israel. He noted, "We also attacked drones that were targeting the center of Israel." Referring to Hezbollah's intention to launch rocket and drone attacks on northern and central Israel, he said the attacks on Sunday morning eliminated a significant threat and "possibly a future threat in certain areas," emphasizing the rockets aimed by Hezbollah towards northern Israel. The Israeli army spokesperson clarified that most of Hezbollah's planned attacks were neutralized and that the majority of projectiles fired towards Israel were intercepted and destroyed. In this context, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, stated at the beginning of an emergency national security cabinet meeting on Sunday in Tel Aviv that Israel destroyed thousands of Hezbollah rockets that morning. He said, "This morning we identified Hezbollah's preparations for an attack on Israel. In consultation with the Defense Minister and the Chief of Staff of the Israeli army, we ordered the Israeli army to act actively to eliminate this threat." Netanyahu continued, "Since then, the Israeli army has been actively working to neutralize threats. Thousands of rockets aimed at the north of the country have been destroyed, and many other threats have also been neutralized with force - both in defense and in attack." Netanyahu urged the public to follow the instructions of the Home Front Command. He added, "We are determined to do whatever it takes to protect our country, to safely return the residents of the north to their homes, and to continue to follow a simple rule: whoever harms us, we will harm them." As tensions escalate between Israel and Hezbollah, a spokesperson for the National Security Council at the White House said that President Joe Biden is "carefully monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon." Sean South stated, "Biden has been in contact with his national security team throughout the night. At his direction, senior U.S. officials have been in constant communication with their Israeli counterparts." According to South, the U.S. will continue to support Israel's right to defend itself and will continue efforts for regional stability. Hours earlier, Hezbollah announced that it had fired over 320 rockets at its targeted bases and points in Israel. At the same time, Israeli media reported an emergency meeting of the Israeli security cabinet. Israeli media also quoted military officials stating that they targeted and destroyed launchers that were supposed to be fired at Israel at 5 AM on Sunday. According to reports, these preemptive strikes against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon began shortly before 5 AM. Daniel Hagari stated in this regard, "The army continues to neutralize Hezbollah's prepared attacks against the country." Hagari emphasized that "we are addressing threats against the Israeli home front, and dozens of aircraft are currently attacking targets in various areas of southern Lebanon." The Israeli army spokesperson, referring to the rocket fire and drone deployment by Hezbollah towards Israel, said, "Our air defense systems, naval vessels, and air force aircraft protect the skies of the country and strike any point in Lebanon necessary to eliminate the Hezbollah threat." Hezbollah also claimed in a statement that it targeted 11 military bases in northern Israel, and one of the videos released on social media shows a Hezbollah drone hitting a highway in northern Israel. This rocket fire occurred while Hezbollah had previously announced that it was responding to the killing of its senior commander, Foad Shakir, in an Israeli army attack last month. Follow the latest developments regarding the escalation of tensions between Israel and Hezbollah on the Voice of America blog. Also see: The U.S. supported Israel's approach in Gaza ceasefire negotiations. Efforts to prevent escalation in the region; the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff went to the Middle East. Three Hezbollah members were killed in an Israeli army attack. The U.S. Department of Defense: Changes in U.S. military posture will impact Iranian government calculations.