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Hezbollah Fires Hundreds of Rockets at Israel (VIDEO)
Hezbollah launched a massive rocket attack on Israel, firing hundreds of rockets amid escalating tensions in the region. The video captures the intensity of the strikes and the ongoing conflict.
To avenge the death of their top commander, Fouad Shukr, who was killed in an airstrike on Beirut last month, Hezbollah – an Islamic paramilitary group has launched hundreds of rockets at Israel. Simultaneously, the Israeli military claimed responsibility for preemptive strikes against this militia based out of Lebanon after determining that they were about to carry out another attack.
In a statement released early on Sunday, Hezbollah claimed to have launched over 320 rockets at eleven Israeli military sites. The attack reportedly included targets situated in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and was executed as “the first response” to what it referred to as “brutal Zionist aggression” on Beirut’s southern suburbs that had resulted in Shukr’s death.
Earlier, Israel alleged that the reason for targeting Shukr was his involvement in a lethal shelling of a soccer field located in Golan Heights which took lives of 12 minors.
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The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have claimed to preemptively strike Hezbollah due to the group’s extensive preparations for an attack. The IDF utilized around 100 Israeli jets, which were able to destroy thousands of rocket launcher barrels stationed in southern Lebanon. An intense bombardment was caught on film and released by the IDF as evidence.
According to estimates, Israeli targets were targeted with around 210 rockets and 20 drones. IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari stated that many of these attacks were intercepted and most of Hezbollah’s planned attack was successfully prevented.
Despite Israel’s preemptive strike, Hezbollah maintained that its activities remained unimpeded.
Since the outset of the Gaza conflict with Hamas in October, Israel and Hezbollah have engaged in habitual cross-border exchanges of artillery and rocket fire. However, these confrontations have yet to escalate into a comprehensive direct encounter.
Simultaneously, concerns for an escalation in the region have intensified following the murder of Hamas’ political leader Ismail Haniyeh via a bombing incident occurring within Tehran. While both Hamas and Tehran point fingers at Israel as being behind this attack, West Jerusalem has yet to affirm or refute its involvement in this assassination.