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All Hezbollah rockets hit Israeli military bases: Nasrallah
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said the main targets were the spy bases and the air defense bases that were hit.
He underlined that the movement did not target civilians in the retaliatory operations, saying Israel had crossed “all redlines” in its aggression against southern Beirut.
The Lebanese resistance movement said it had fired 320 Katyusha rockets towards Israel and hit 11 military targets during its operation.
Israel’s military claimed to have foiled a much larger attack with pre-emptive airstrikes after assessing that Hezbollah was preparing to launch the barrage, using 100 jets to strike more than 40 Hezbollah launch sites in southern Lebanon.
However, Nasrallah noted that Israel failed to hit any of Hezbollah’s strategic or ballistic missiles. The regime’s strikes had no impact on Hezbollah’s retaliatory operations, he said.
Nasrallah also said Israel is covering up losses inflicted as a result of Hezbollah’s retaliatory operation.
Earlier on the day, the resistance group said in a statement, “Our military operation today is completed and accomplished.”
The Lebanese resistance group also dismissed Israel’s claim that the group’s attack had been foiled with pre-emptive strikes, saying it had been able to launch its drones as planned and that the rest of its response to Shukr’s killing would take “some time.”
Three deaths were confirmed in Lebanon and one in Israel, where damage appeared to be limited. Hezbollah indicated it was not planning further strikes yet and Israel’s foreign minister said the regime did not seek a full-scale war.
Meanwhile, the US, Israel’s main supporter in its war on Gaza, said President Joe Biden was closely following the events.
“At his direction, senior US officials have been communicating continuously with their Israeli counterparts. We will keep supporting Israel’s right to defend itself, and we will keep working for regional stability,” National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett said.
The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon and the UN’s special coordinator’s office in the country called on all sides to cease fire, calling the developments “worrying.” Egypt also warned against the dangers of a new war front opening in Lebanon.
However, Palestinian resistance movement Hamas hailed strikes by Hezbollah as a “strong and focused response.”
“We emphasize that this strong and focused response, which struck deep inside the Zionist entity, is a slap in the face” for the Israeli regime, Hamas said in a statement.
Yemen’s Ansarullah group also congratulated its Lebanese ally on a “great and brave” attack on Israel.
The Lebanese movement has been exchanging fire with Israel in support of its ally Hamas since the beginning of the regime’s war on Gaza in October. The cross-border violence has killed more than 600 people in Lebanon, according to an AFP tally. On the Israeli side, authorities have announced the deaths of at least 23 soldiers and 26 civilians.