BEIRUT —
Israel launched what it called preemptive strikes into Lebanon early Sunday to thwart an attack by the militant group Hezbollah, which still managed to lob hundreds of rockets and drones targeting military sites deep in Israeli territory.
It was the heaviest round of fighting between the two sides since the tit-for-tat conflict began last fall, and each claimed victory while insisting it didn’t want a full-scale regional war.
A strike force of some 100 Israeli warplanes attacked southern Lebanon before 5 a.m. local time. Observers said Israel conducted more than 40 strikes targeting at least a dozen villages and towns as well as forested areas that Hezbollah has been using as cover for its operations.
Minutes later, Hezbollah launched some 340 rockets and drones targeting more than 11 military sites, according to the group. Its leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, said in a televised speech Sunday that the attack was meant as vengeance for Israel’s assassination last month of Hezbollah senior military commander Fuad Shukr.
The effect of the Israeli strikes on Lebanon remains unclear, but the Lebanese ministry of health said three people were killed and that the attacks had caused extensive damage to water and electricity infrastructure.
The Israeli military said one naval soldier died after being wounded by shrapnel from an Iron Dome interceptor missile, according to reports in Israeli media.
Soon after the launches, Hezbollah issued a statement saying “the first stage” of the attack had ended in “complete success,” while Israeli officials touted the effectiveness of the strikes in wiping out a large portion of the munitions and launchers Hezbollah had dedicated for the operation.
“We are striking Hezbollah with surprising crushing blows,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a Cabinet meeting. “Three weeks ago, we eliminated its chief of staff and today we thwarted its attack plan.”
In an address to Israeli officers, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said, “We hit the enemy before it launched and threw it off balance.”
Adding that Israel had been “very, very successful” in neutralizing Hezbollah’s assets, he explained: “In other words, by attacking thousands of targets, we prevented the launch of hundreds of rockets.”
In a televised address later Sunday, Nasrallah dismissed those claims, saying the operation had proceeded as planned and that Israel’s missiles had “no effect whatsoever.”
He added the initial barrage overwhelmed Israeli interceptor defense systems and allowed drones to continue to their intended targets: the Glilot base in a northern suburb of Tel Aviv and another base he did not name located 46 miles from Lebanon’s border.
The Glilot base is home to Unit 8200, Israel’s top signals intelligence-gathering unit, which Nasrallah said was involved in Shukr’s assassination.
The region has been on edge since the back-to-back assassinations last month of Shukr and Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in a blast in Tehran for which Israel denies responsibility.