Israel launched a wave of airstrikes across southern Lebanon early Sunday in what it said was a preemptive strike on Hezbollah, as the militant group said it launched hundreds of rockets and drones to avenge the killing of one of its top commanders last month. The heavy exchange of fire threatened to trigger an all-out war that could draw in the United States, Iran, and militant groups across the region. As the AP reports, it could also torpedo efforts to forge a ceasefire in Gaza, where Israel has been at war with Hezbollah ally Hamas. By mid-morning, it appeared that the exchange had ended, with both sides saying they had confined their attacks to military targets. But the situation remained tense, and the full extent of casualties and damage was not immediately known. At least three people were killed in Lebanon.
The Israeli military said Hezbollah was planning to launch a heavy barrage of rockets and missiles toward Israel. Soon after, Hezbollah announced it had launched an attack on Israeli military positions as an initial response to the killing of Fouad Shukur, one of its founders, in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut last month. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military had eliminated "thousands of rockets that were aimed at northern Israel" and urged citizens to adhere to directives from the Home Front Command. Air raid sirens were reported throughout northern Israel, and Israel's Ben-Gurion international airport closed and diverted flights for approximately an hour due to the threat of attack. Israel's Home Front Command raised the alert level in northern Israel and encouraged people to stay near bomb shelters.
Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli military spokesman, said initial assessments found "very little damage" in Israel, but that the military remained on high alert. Hezbollah later announced the end of what it said was the first stage of retaliatory strikes, which it said would allow it to launch more attacks deeper into Israel. But a later statement said "military operations for today have been completed." Randa Slim, a senior fellow at the Washington, DC-based Middle East Institute, said Sunday's exchange was "still within the rules of engagement and unlikely at this point to lead to an all out war."
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