West Asia crisis: Hezbollah chief says 'US is complicit' in Israel's action

Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah group, in a speech on Sunday (August 25), claimed that Israel's preemptive attack on Hezbollah had no impact of Hezbollah's retaliatory opeartions. Click here to read more...

An Israeli navy soldier lost his life and two others were injured during a conflict in northern Israel on Sunday after the Lebanese group Hezbollah launched a series of rockets at Israel, according to the Israeli military.

The military identified the fallen soldier as "Petty Officer First Class, David Moshe Ben Shitrit, aged 21," and noted that he "fell during combat in northern Israel." The statement also mentioned that two others were wounded, but no further details were provided.

Tel Aviv's main stock indices closed around 2% higher on Sunday, with the blue-chip index reaching an all-time high. This surge came after Israel launched a pre-emptive strike against Hezbollah, which helped prevent a potential rocket attack on important Israeli targets.

A Hezbollah official stated that the group's rocket and drone attack on Israel earlier today, in response to last month's assassination of their senior commander Fuad Shukr, had been postponed due to "political considerations." The primary reason for the delay was the ongoing discussions regarding a ceasefire and a deal for the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip.

Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, announced that they had taken pre-emptive action against Hezbollah in Lebanon. He further stated that their air defenses were able to intercept all the rockets and drones launched at Israel.

He emphasised that the leaders of Hezbollah and Iran should know that the response was "another step towards changing the situation in the north and returning our residents safely to their homes" and that "this is not the end of the story".

Israel's biggest municipalities shut down its Mediterranean beaches on Sunday (August 25) as tourists and local residents said they were taking precautions in the wake of the extraordinary exchange of missile fire between Israel and Hezbollah.

Tel Aviv and Haifa's city halls, as well as other coastal towns, announced they were closing their beaches after the Israeli military told people to limit gatherings.

Disappointed tourists and residents took elsewhere, but the restrictions were lifted several hours later, authorities said, as the cross-border fire abated.

The Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine (PIJ) in a statement congratulated Hezbollah for its attack on Israel. 

"We congratulate our brothers in Hezbollah on the operation they launched deep within the usurping entity, and their success in delivering bold and courageous strikes, reaffirming their steadfastness in their positions and fulfillment of their promise."

"These strikes have confirmed that the Zionist enemy understands only the language of force and is deterred only by the blows of the Resistance and the fighters."
 

The Hezbollah has announced the deaths of two of its members. The group said its operative were killed "on the road to Jerusalem," its term for operatives slain in Israeli strikes.

The terror group's toll in the Gaza Strip has reached at least 430 with their deaths.

The Iran-supported Houthi rebels in Yemen hailed Hezbollah's assaults on Israel and reiterated their intentions to retaliate with their own attack in response to Israeli strikes on a Yemeni port.

"We congratulate Hezbollah and its Secretary-General on the great and courageous attack carried out by the resistance this morning against the Israeli enemy," said a statement, adding that a response to July 20 strikes by Israel on the rebel-run Hodeida port "is definitely coming".

Air France on Sunday (August 25) announced that it was suspending flights to Tel Aviv and Beirut for at least 24 hours after Israel launched air strikes into Lebanon.

"Flights today and tomorrow are suspended," said a spokesperson for the airline.

Notably, the suspension could be extended depending on the situation in the Middle East.

The IDF Home Front Command had lifted crowd restrictions in the capital city of Tel Aviv, issued on Sunday morning. Restrictions remain in place in communities along the Lebanon border and in the Golan Heights.

Lebanese caretaker PM Najib Mikati chaired an emergency meeting with ministers at his house in Beirut in the aftermath of the pre-emptive strikes by Israel and subsequent retaliation by Hezbollah. 

The United Nations special coordinator's office in Lebanon and peacekeepers on Sunday urged all parties "to cease fire", after Israel struck Lebanon and Hezbollah said it launched attacks on Israeli positions.

Israeli health ministry, Uriel Buso on Sunday held an emergency meeting with ministry Director-General Moshe Bar Siman-Tov and top health officials. The Health Ministry says in a statement that Buso has instructed officials to remain at the highest level of alert. 

Jordan's Royal Jordanian airline has suspended flights to Lebanon capital, Beirut, in light of the Israeli pre-emptive strikes in the southern part of the country, housing the Hezbollah fighters. 

Hezbollah said its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, will deliver a speech later on Sunday to refute Israel's claim that its military disrupted the group's attacks. The Iran-backed outfit also confirmed that it military operation was finished for the day. 

The group dismissed Israel's statements that it had launched a successful preemptive attack against Hezbollah’s forces. "These are empty claims," the statement said.

White House National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett said President Joe Biden was "closely monitoring" the events in Israel and Lebanon. 

“He has been engaged with his national security team throughout the evening,” Savett said. 

“He has been engaged with his natioAt his direction, senior US officials have been communicating continuously with their Israeli counterparts. We will keep supporting Israel’s right to defend itself, and we will keep working for regional stability."

The Lebanon ministry has claimed that one resident lost their life in the Israeli strikes in the southern region of the country. 

According to reports, more than 100 Israeli fighter jets had participated in the pre-emptive strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon. Additionally, several thousand rocket and missile launching barrels were destroyed in the strike which targeted 40 different launching compounds in Southern Lebanon. 

“This morning we detected Hezbollah’s preparations to attack Israel. In consultation with the defense minister and the IDF chief of staff, we instructed the IDF to act proactively to remove the threat," said PM Benjamin Netanyahu. 

“The IDF has since been working intensively to thwart the threats. It destroyed thousands of rockets aimed at the north of the country; it’s also thwarting many other threats and is operating with great power — both in defense and on the attack.”

“We are determined to do everything to protect our country, return the residents of the north safely to their homes and continue to follow a simple rule: Whoever harms us — we harm them.”

According to the IDF, Hezbollah was planning to launch attacks at central Israel on Sunday (Aug 25) morning. However, the plan was foiled by the military's pre-emptive strike.  

Lebanon’s state-run news agency reported that Israel’s strikes in southern Lebanon on Sunday were “the most violent” since the war in Gaza began in October. 

The Pentagon reiterated its support to Israel by stating that the US was "postured to support" the defence of Tel Aviv. 

"We continue to closely monitor the situation and have been very clear that the US is postured to support the defense of Israel," a Pentagon spokesman said in a statement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a cabinet meeting early on Sunday following the announcement of the launch of strikes in Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah positions.  

The Iran-backed outfit said it had launched 'more than 320' Katyusha rockets at Israel. Notably, Tel Aviv has been trading fire with Hezbollah across the southern Lebanon border in parallel with the Gaza war as rising hostilities increase the threat of a full-scale regional war.

After Israel's pre-emptive strikes, Hezbollah also announced it had launched attacks in northern Israel.

"As part of the initial response to the brutal Zionist aggression on the southern suburbs of Beirut, which led to the death of the great Jihad leader, Mr Fuad Shukr, our forces began a large-scale air attack towards the Zionist entity and towards a specific Israeli military target to be announced in the future," Hezbollah said. 

Defence Minister Yoav Gallant announced a 48-hour nationwide state of emergency from 06:00 am (0300 GMT) Sunday, after the Israeli military launched what it called pre-emptive strikes in Lebanon.

"The declaration on the state of emergency enables the IDF (Israeli military) to issue instructions to the citizens of Israel, including limiting gatherings and closing sites where it may be relevant," Gallant said, in a statement issued by his office.

"Fighter jets are now attacking targets of the Hezbollah terrorist organisation that posed an immediate threat to the Israeli home front," the IDF said in a statement. 

"Following these attacks and in accordance with the assessment of the situation held by the Home Front Command, life-saving instructions will be distributed in some areas of the country," it added. 

IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Tel Aviv had launched the attacks in self-defence while anticipating that Hezbollah would soon fire "rockets, and possibly missiles and UAVs, towards Israeli territory". ‌

Anticipating rocket and drone attacks from Hezbollah, Israel started attaching the Iran-backed terror outfit in the southern region of Lebanon.