Israel has said it carried out a wave of pre-emptive strikes across southern Lebanon to thwart a large-scale rocket and drone attack by Hezbollah.
According to Israel’s military, Jets destroyed thousands of the Iran-backed armed group’s rocket launchers on Sunday morning, Hezbollah and its Amal allies said three fighters had been killed.
Hezbollah said it had still managed to fire 320 rockets and drones at Israel in retaliation for the assassination of a senior commander. According to Israel’s military, one Israeli navy soldier was killed.
The US says it is working to avoid any further escalation after 10 months of hostilities that have raised fears of an all-out war.
There have been almost daily exchanges of fire across the Israel-Lebanon border since the day after the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza on 7 October.
There was no breakthrough at the latest round of US-backed Gaza peace talks in Cairo.
Before leaving, Hamas said it rejected new Israeli conditions and accused Israel of backtracking on promises. Israel denies changing its demands since a last round of talks in early July.
Hezbollah has said it is acting in support of the Palestinian group, which is also backed by Iran. Both Hamas and Hezbollah are proscribed as terrorist organisations by Israel, the UK and other countries.
Since October, more than 560 people have been reported killed by Lebanon’s health ministry, the vast majority of them Hezbollah fighters, while 26 civilians and 23 soldiers have been killed in Israel, according to authorities.
The UN says almost 200,000 people have also been displaced on both sides of the border.
Israel’s attack on Hezbollah at around 04:30 (01:30 GMT) on Sunday was its biggest since the full-scale war between them in 2006.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said about 100 fighter jets had “struck and destroyed thousands of Hezbollah rocket launcher barrels” in more than 40 areas of southern Lebanon.
IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the strikes went ahead after “extensive preparation” for a large-scale aerial attack by Hezbollah was detected.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that Israeli aircraft had struck Beaufort Castle, the Bir Kalb area, and the outskirts of the towns of Ain Qana, Kfar Fila, Louaizeh, Bsalia, Kfar Melki, Sajd and Sarba.
A resident of the town of Zibqeen said it had “felt like the apocalypse”.
