IDF: Israel Hit ‘Thousands’ of Hezbollah Launchers; Lebanon: One Dead

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Sunday that it had hit “thousands” of Hezbollah rocket launchers in southern Lebanon in a pre-dawn preemptive strike to thwart an attack on Tel Aviv. Lebanon reported one dead in the attack.

In a statement, the IDF said:

Approximately 100 [Israel Air Force] fighter jets, directed by IDF intelligence, struck and destroyed thousands of Hezbollah rocket launcher barrels that were located and embedded in southern Lebanon. Most of these launchers were aimed toward northern Israel and some were aimed toward central Israel. More than 40 launch areas in Lebanon were struck during the strikes. 

The Lebanese media reported one dead in the attack, according to the Times of Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement from the “Kirya,” Israel’s military headquarters, in Tel Aviv (translated from Hebrew by the Government Press Office):

This morning we identified Hezbollah preparations to attack Israel. In consensus with the Defense Minister and the IDF Chief-of-Staff, we directed the IDF initiate action to eliminate the threat.

Since then, the IDF has been taking strong action to foil the threats. It has eliminated thousands of rockets that were aimed at northern Israel. It is thwarting many other threats and is taking very strong action – both defensively and offensively.

Citizens of Israel, I request that you adhere to the directives from IDF Home Front Command.

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.

According to some reports, Hezbollah had been planning to launch a barrage of thousands of rockets at Tel Aviv. After the Israeli airstrike, Hezbollah launched hundreds of rockets, to little effect. More Hezbollah rockets were expected.

Israeli authorities prohibited large public gatherings in the central and northern part of the country, and advised people that while it was safe to go to work (Sunday is part of the work week in Israel), they should only do so if they had access to a bomb shelter. In the event of sirens, people were to enter “safe rooms” or shelters for ten minutes.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of “”The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of “The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency,” now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.