Israel launches 'pre-emptive' strike as Hezbollah enters 'first phase' of retaliation

Israel has launched 'pre-emptive' strikes in Lebanon as Hezbollah began its 'first phase' of retaliation with a huge rocket barrage. Ben Kentish hears from Middle East expert Professor Yossi Mekelberg, who says the region is now on the brink of 'all out war.'

Israel launched a series of intense airstrikes in southern Lebanon early on Sunday. The army said they were 'pre-emptive strikes' against Hezbollah, which had been planning to launch a heavy barrage of rockets and missiles towards Israel.

The Iranian-backed group had been promising to retaliate for Israel's assassination of a top commander late last month.

Soon afterwards, Hezbollah announced it had launched an attack on Israel with a "large number of drones" as an initial response to the killing of Fouad Shukur.

Hezbollah said the attack was targeting "a qualitative Israeli military target that will be announced later" as well as "targeting a number of enemy sites and barracks and Iron Dome platforms".

The attacks risk triggering a broader region-wide war that could torpedo efforts to forge a ceasefire in Gaza.

Egypt is currently hosting a new round of talks aimed at ending Israel's war against Hamas, now in its 11th month. Hezbollah has said it will halt the fighting if there is a ceasefire.

Last week, Israel's defence minister said he was moving more troops towards the Lebanese border in anticipation of possible fighting with the group.

Israel's military spokesman, rear admiral Daniel Hagari, said: "In a self-defence act to remove these threats, the (Israeli military) is striking terror targets in Lebanon, from which Hezbollah was planning to launch their attacks on Israeli civilians."

"We can see that Hezbollah is preparing to launch an extensive attack on Israel while endangering the Lebanese civilians," he added, without providing details.

"We warn the civilians located in the areas where Hezbollah is operating to move out of harm's way immediately for their own safety."

Hezbollah began attacking Israel almost immediately after the war with Hamas erupted on October 7 with a Hamas cross-border attack.

Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire nearly daily since, displacing tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border and raising fears that the fighting could escalate into all-out war.

Hezbollah is considered much more powerful than its ally, Hamas, with an estimated arsenal of 150,000 rockets and missiles, including precision-guided missiles.

In recent months the group has also stepped up its use of drones, against which Israel is less well-equipped to defend.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said he and his defence minister, Yoav Gallant, were managing the latest operation from military headquarters in Tel Aviv.

Mr Gallant declared a "special situation on the home front" and Mr Netanyahu's Security Cabinet was set to meet later Sunday morning.

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