What you should know about the exchange of fire between Israel and Hezbollah
- Israel and the militant Hezbollah group engaged in their heaviest exchange of fire after months of attacks and counterattacks. By Sunday morning, the exchange of fire appeared to have ended, with both sides declaring they had only attacked military targets.
- Lebanese authorities said three people were killed in the Israeli strikes, while Israel said one of its soldiers was killed.
- President Biden is closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon. “At his direction, senior U.S. officials have been communicating continuously with their Israeli counterparts,” National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said in a statement.
Here is a look at the current status:
What happened early Sunday?
The situation between Israel and the militant Hezbollah group remains tense, with the exchange of fire between the two early Sunday threatening to spark a wider war across the region that could torpedo ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.
The Israeli military said around 100 warplanes launched the airstrikes on thousands of rocket launchers in southern Lebanon. It said the attack came as Hezbollah planned to launch a heavy barrage of rockets and missiles into Israel. Shortly afterward, Hezbollah announced it had launched an attack on Israeli military positions using a large number of drones. The Iran-backed group had been threatening retaliation for weeks for Israel's assassination by Fouad Shukur, one of its founding members, last month in Beirut.
By mid-morning, the exchange of blows seemed to have ended. At least three people were killed in the attacks in Lebanon, while Israel announced that one soldier, 21-year-old Petty Officer 1st Class David Moshe Ben Shitrit, had been killed in northern Israel. Two other soldiers were “lightly and moderately injured,” Israel said.
“Approximately ninety percent of the targets hit were short-range rockets aimed at northern Israel,” Israel Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a statement on Sunday, adding: “Hezbollah planned to harm Israeli civilians.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the start of a cabinet meeting that the military had “destroyed thousands of rockets aimed at northern Israel” and called on citizens to obey the Home Front Command's instructions.
“We are determined to do everything we can to defend our country, to return the people of the North safely to their homes and to continue to uphold a simple rule: whoever harms us, we will harm,” he said.
What was associated with the attack?
Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli military spokesman, said Hezbollah had planned to attack targets in northern and central Israel. He said initial assessments showed “very little damage” in Israel, but the military remained on high alert. He said around 100 Israeli aircraft were involved in Sunday's attacks.
“Hezbollah was only able to fire about two hundred and thirty rockets and over twenty unmanned aerial vehicles,” Hagari said on Sunday. “Most of them either crashed en route to Israeli territory, landed in open areas or were intercepted by Israeli Air Force defense systems and Israeli Navy ships.”
Hezbollah said its attack included more than 320 Katyusha rockets against several sites in Israel, as well as a “large number” of drones. The operation targeted “a qualitative Israeli military target to be announced later,” as well as “enemy sites and barracks, as well as Iron Dome (missile defense) platforms.”
Hezbollah later announced the end of the first phase of its retaliatory strikes, which were intended to allow Hezbollah to launch further attacks deeper into Israel. However, a later statement said: “Military operations for today have been concluded.”
Air raid sirens were reported throughout northern Israel and the Israel Airports Authority briefly suspended flights to and from Ben Gurion International Airport due to the threat of an attack. Flights already en route to Ben Gurion were diverted to other airports.
The Israeli Home Front Command raised the alert level in northern Israel and urged the population to stay near air raid shelters.
Fears have been high in recent weeks that the War between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip could escalate into a regional conflict following the Israeli attack, killed Shukrand the Hamas leader was killed in a suspected Israeli assassination attempt in Iran Ismail Haniya.
Earlier this month, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said said the US was preparing for a possible attack by Iran and its proxies in retaliation for these attacks.
The USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier with F-35 fighter jets, and the USS Georgia, a guided missile submarine, were recently deployed in response to the Middle East.
Diplomacy for de-escalation continues despite ceasefire talks
The attacks take place during delegations from the USA, Israel, Qatar and Egypt are holding another round of ceasefire talks in Cairo.
A National Security Council spokesman, Sean Savett, said President Biden was “closely monitoring” events in Israel and Lebanon and had been in discussions with his national security team throughout the evening.
“At his direction, senior U.S. officials have been communicating continuously with their Israeli counterparts,” Savett said. “We will continue to support Israel's right to self-defense and remain committed to regional stability.”
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant about Israel's defense. Austin also ordered that two carrier battle groups remain in the region, the Pentagon said on Sunday.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General CQ Brown is currently on a visit to the region that is expected to take him to Israel, Egypt and Jordan.
According to a US official, the US military was not involved in Israel's preemptive strikes against Hezbollah.
Michael Herzog, Israeli Ambassador to the USA, said In “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” he said he believed the “success of our operation yesterday prevented an escalation to a major war.”
“We still need an agreement with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon,” Herzog said. “They followed Hamas by starting a war against Israel on October 8 and have fired thousands of rockets at Israel since then. We are giving diplomacy a chance and hope it works.”
The US is hoping that all sides can stop the escalation, as both Israel and Hezbollah are publicly claiming success and the initial assessment is that the impact of this attack is limited. An Israeli official also told CBS News that Hezbollah appears to be deterred.
Several sources in the region told CBS News that the US, Qatar, Israel and all relevant actors are now sending a message to both Hezbollah and Iran to de-escalate the situation. Three sources told CBS that Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani is still scheduled to travel to Tehran on Monday to brief the Iranian leadership on ongoing diplomatic steps regarding Gaza and to prevent a possible Iranian attack on Israel.
The attacks do not disrupt ongoing diplomatic negotiations in Cairo, where the US and Egypt are trying to broker a ceasefire in Gaza. CIA Director William Burns and Biden's Middle East adviser Brett McGurk continue to negotiate in Cairo the details of a possible hostage and prisoner exchange between Hamas and Israel. An Israeli official confirmed that the Israeli delegation will attend later today.
Qatar and Egypt are acting as intermediaries with Hamas, as American law prohibits the United States from negotiating directly with the terror group. However, a regional official confirmed to CBS News that Hamas's Doha-based political leadership had sent a high-level delegation to Cairo led by Khalil Hayya.
Hayya previously headed the Hamas negotiating team under Ismail Haniyeh until the Israelis assassinated Haniyeh a few weeks ago. The physical presence of a political delegation in the same building is helpful for diplomats as they delve into the details of the negotiations, but all parties recognize that the real decision-maker remains Yahya Sinwar, who is in command from underground in Gaza.
The potential agreement would include a six-week cessation of violence, an exchange of the most vulnerable prisoners, including Americans, the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli custody, and an increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza. During the first phase of this agreement, talks on a permanent ceasefire would continue. This agreement is the centerpiece of the Biden administration's strategy to reduce regional tensions well beyond the 25 miles of the Gaza Strip.
Margaret Brennan contributed to this report.