The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem on Sunday issued a security alert for Israel as the country’s military confirmed it carried out strikes overnight against Hezbollah in Lebanon, which returned fire.
Israel said the strikes were meant to prevent a large attack from Hezbollah, a terrorist organization, prompting it to respond by firing rockets and drones on Israeli military positions as an initial response to the killing of Fuad Shukr, a senior Hezbollah commander, in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut last month.
In a security bulletin, the embassy warned that American citizens should exercise “caution and increased personal security awareness,” including knowing the location of the nearest shelter.
“Mortar and rocket fire and unmanned aircraft system (UAS) intrusions … often take place without any warning,” the bulletin stated. “The security environment is complex and can change quickly, and the Israeli Homefront Command can change the guidance in response to the security situation.”
The bulletin noted that U.S. government employees and family members who are in the country might be restricted from traveling to certain locations in Israel, including Jerusalem’s Old City and the West Bank.
The U.S. Embassy added it may “also order U.S. government employees and their family members to shelter in place.”
In the meantime, Israel already had announced flights from its Ben Gurion Airport would be delayed until 10 a.m. local time. Air raid sirens were reported throughout northern Israel, and Israel’s Home Front Command raised the alert level across northern Israel before later lifting restrictions in most areas.
According to tracking website FlightAware, as of Sunday morning, several dozen flights at Ben Gurion Airport were canceled or delayed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement on social media that Israel found that Hezbollah was making preparations to attack. “In consensus with the Defense Minister and the [Israeli Defense Force] Chief-of-Staff, we directed the IDF initiate action to eliminate the threat,” he said.
Since then, he added in the statement, the military had eliminated “thousands of rockets that were aimed at northern Israel.”
“We are determined to do everything to defend our country, to return the residents of the north securely to their homes, and to continue upholding a simple rule: Whoever harms us—we will harm them,” he said.
On Sunday morning, Hezbollah’s longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah, said via state-run outlet Al-Manar TV that the organization’s operation was completed. He also disputed statements from Israel that it launched strikes on Hezbollah’s assets as a preemptive strike.
“All offensive drones were launched at their designated times and from all their positions. They crossed the Lebanese-Palestinian border towards their intended targets from multiple routes. Thus, our military operation for today has been completed,” Nasrallah stated.
In another statement, Hezbollah said its attack involved more than 320 Katyusha rockets aimed at multiple sites in Israel and a “large number” of drones. It said the operation targeted “a qualitative Israeli military target that will be announced later” as well as “enemy sites and barracks and Iron Dome [missile defense] platforms.”
Israel has vowed a crushing response to any major attack from Hezbollah, which fought Israel to a stalemate in the summer of 2006. Israel has an extensive multi-tiered missile defense system, and it is backed by a U.S.-led coalition that helped it shoot down hundreds of missiles and drones fired from Iran earlier this year.
The U.S. military has been building up its forces across the region in recent weeks. A statement issued by the Pentagon on Saturday said that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, reaffirming the United States’ commitment to Israel’s defense.
“Secretary Austin reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s defense against any attacks by Iran and its regional partners and proxies,” it added, adding he also spoke about the Hezbollah attacks.
Hezbollah is a close ally of Iran, which has also threatened to retaliate against Israel for the killing of a senior Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in an explosion in Tehran last month. Israel has not said whether it was involved.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
From The Epoch Times