‘Will harm whoever harms us’: Israel strikes back after Hezbollah attack

In an act that threatens to trigger a full-fledged war in the Middle East, Iran-backed Hezbollah on Sunday (August 25) claimed that said it had fired 320 Katyusha rockets at 11 Israeli military sites.

Israel has also claimed that it had intelligence about a possible attack by Hezbollah and had struck terror targets belonging to the militant outfit in southern Lebanon in an act of “self-defence” and to prevent Hezbollah from attacking civilians in its territory.

Hezbollah’s intent

The Hezbollah, however, issued a statement saying that Israel’s “claims of pre-emptive action...and the thwarting of the resistance’s attack are empty claims”. They also said their attack for the day was over.

According to Hezbollah, the attack was on “a qualitative Israeli military target that will be announced later” and “several enemy sites and barracks and Iron Dome platforms”.

Hezbollah said the attacks were launched in retaliation for the killing of Fouah Shukur, one of the top commanders of the outfit in Beirut.

Israel had info about attack: IDF

Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesperson Daniel Hagari said Israel had information that Hezbollah was planning to fire missiles and rockets towards Israeli territory. He also warned Israeli residents that Hezbollah may retaliate by firing drones and missiles into Israeli territory.

“The IDF identified the Hezbollah terrorist organisation preparing to fire missiles and rockets towards Israeli territory. In response to these threats, the IDF is striking terror targets belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organisation that posed an imminent threat to the citizens of the State of Israel,” IDF said.

Reports said around 100 Israeli war jets attacked premises of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon on Sunday and destroyed thousands of rocket launcher barrels owned by the militant outfit. Lebanon said at least one person had died and two had been injured in the southern Khiam area.

Netanyahu’s response

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government was committed to defending the country and would do anything to achieve it. “We are determined to do everything possible to defend our country, to return the residents of the north safely to their homes and to continue to uphold a simple rule: Whoever harms us — we harm him,” he said.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz, too, addressed dozens of foreign ministers from around the world in the morning, seeking support for Israel. He emphasized that Israel was acting to protect its citizens and territory against the attacks led by Iran, which has a declared goal of destroying Israel. Katz emphasized that Israel does not seek an all-out war and will act according to the developments on the ground.

This comes even as negotiators are trying to broker peace in the region, through an exchange of Israeli and Palestinian prisoners. Israel’s Army Radio reported that David Barnea, the director of Mossad, will head an Israeli delegation to the Gaza ceasefire talks in Cairo today (August 25).

US vows to support Israel

The United States continued to express solidarity with Israel and vowed to support it in any defence operations. The Pentagon said in a statement that Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has “reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s defence against any attacks by Iran and its regional partners and proxies”.

US National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett said “senior US officials have been communicating continuously with their Israeli counterparts” at the direction of President Joe Biden, who was “closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon”.

“We will keep supporting Israel’s right to defend itself, and we will keep working for regional stability,” Savett added.

48-hour emergency declared in Israel

In the morning, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant declared a 48-hour nationwide state of emergency starting 6 am. The emergency has been declared to enable defence forces to issue directives to citizens on their safety.

“I am convinced that there is a high probability of an attack against the civilian population in areas of the country where the declaration of a special situation did not apply,” Gallant told the media.

Gallant is also reported to have apprised US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin about the situation.

Flights diverted, delayed

Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport has also diverted incoming flights and delayed others.

“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 airport authority said.

According to the authority, flights en route to Ben Gurion will be directed to land at alternative airports in the region.