Hezbollah confirms successful completion of its first phase of attacks on Israel

The Lebanese Hezbollah announced on Sunday that its military operations against Israeli targets had been completed and that Israeli claims about it carrying out preemptive action to disrupt the attack were “empty because they contradict the facts on the ground”.

Hezbollah said in a statement, “all offensive drones were launched at the specified times and from all their positions, and crossed the Lebanese-Palestinian border towards the desired target from multiple paths”.

The statement added, “Thus, our military operation for today has been completed and accomplished, thanks be to God Almighty”.

The statement stressed, “the enemy’s claims about the preemptive action it carried out, the targets it achieved, and its disruption of the party’s attack are empty claims that contradict the facts on the ground”.

Hezbollah’s statement pointed out that the Israeli allegations will be refuted in a speech by Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, to be determined later today.

On Sunday morning, the Israeli army claimed to have carried out a preemptive attack on Lebanon, alleging that it had monitored preparations by Hezbollah to launch missiles towards Israeli cities.

The Israeli army said in a statement, “We’ve just detected Hezbollah preparations to launch rockets and missiles towards Israel… Accordingly, we are attacking to remove the threat”.

On the other hand, the Lebanese News Agency said that Israel carried out a wide belt of airstrikes, most of which targeted forested and open areas.

About 40 airstrikes were reported, targeting the forests of the town of Kounine, and the towns of Rshaf, al Tayri, Hadatha, Beit Yahoun, Aita al Jabal, and Haris.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah announced the launch of 320 rockets at Sunday dawn, towards Israeli military sites, as part of the first phase of the response to Tel Aviv’s assassination of its leader, Fouad Shukr, who was assassinated in an Israeli raid on a building in the southern suburbs of Beirut on July 30.

Hezbollah indicated in its statement that it targeted 11 Israeli military sites: the Meron, Za’atun, al Sahl, Nafah, Yarden, Ein Zi Tim bases, the Kela, UF, Ramot Naftali barracks, the Naveh Ziv and al Za’ura camps, all of which are in northern Israel.

In the same context, the White House announced on Sunday that US President Joe Biden is following the situation in Israel and Lebanon closely, following an escalation in confrontations between Hezbollah and Tel Aviv this morning.

This came in a statement by White House National Security Council deputy spokesman Sean Savett.

“Biden has been in touch with the national security team throughout the evening,” Savett said.

He added, “Senior US officials continue their contacts with their Israeli counterparts, based on President Biden’s instructions”.

He said his country would continue to support Israel’s right to self-defense and work for regional stability.