Israel launches bombing campaign on Lebanon as military jets hit Hezbollah targets amid fears of ‘terrorist rocket attacks’

Israeli fighter jets have carried out airstrikes in Lebanon after the military said Hezbollah was preparing to fire rockets and missiles at Israel.

Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said: “In a self-defense action to eliminate these threats, the (Israeli army) is striking terrorist targets in Lebanon from which Hezbollah planned to carry out its attacks on Israeli civilians.

Hagari warned that Hezbollah would “soon fire rockets and possibly drones” at Israel.

Shortly after the warning, sirens began to sound in northern Israel, followed by more sirens in the north.

Lebanese media reported strikes in the south of the country without immediately giving more details. Social media images showed what appeared to be strikes in southern Lebanon.

Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv began diverting incoming flights and delaying other flights on Sunday due to Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon.

Israeli media quoted the Israel Airports Authority for the news. Flight tracking data showed that at least two El Al flights veered far south and were diverted after the announcement.

In his statement, Hagari added: “We see that Hezbollah is preparing for a large-scale attack on Israel, endangering Lebanese civilians.

“We warn civilians who are in the areas where Hezbollah is active to immediately leave the danger zone for their own safety,” Hagari said. He did not provide additional details about the intelligence he cited.

In recent weeks, there have been growing fears that the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip could escalate into a regional conflict after an Israeli strike killed a top Hezbollah commander and a suspected Israeli assassination in Iran killed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.