Hezbollah launches rockets at Israel after overnight airstrikes: 'Open-ended battle'

Hezbollah fired much than 100 rockets into bluish Israel connected Sunday successful effect to a bid of Israeli airstrikes on confederate Lebanon, pushing some sides person to the brink of full-scale war.  

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) airstrikes targeting Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists successful Lebanon killed dozens, including 1 of the group’s apical commanders, Ibrahim Akil.

Hezbollah's lawman leader, Naim Kassem, said Sunday's rocket onslaught was conscionable the opening of what's present an "open-ended battle" with Israel.

Israeli information forces enactment astatine a location deed by a rocket fired from Lebanon, successful Kiryat Bialik, bluish Israel, connected Sunday. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

At Akil’s funeral, Kassem vowed Hezbollah would proceed subject operations against Israel but besides warned of unexpected attacks "from extracurricular the box," pointing to rockets fired deeper into Israel.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would instrumentality immoderate enactment was indispensable to reconstruct information successful the northbound and let radical to instrumentality to their homes.

"No state tin judge the wanton rocketing of its cities. We can't judge it either," helium said.

Israel's subject chief, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, told reporters the service is prepared to summation unit connected Hezbollah successful the coming days, adding, "We person galore capabilities that we person not yet activated."

ISRAELI AIRSTRIKES CONTINUE ON TERRORIST TARGETS, ROCKET LAUNCHERS IN SOUTHERN LEBANON

The Israeli subject said it struck astir 400 militant sites, including rocket launchers, crossed confederate Lebanon successful the past 24 hours, thwarting an adjacent larger attack.

"Last night, hundreds of thousands of Israelis woke up to rocket sirens arsenic Hezbollah launched implicit 20 rockets towards bluish Israel that near communities successful ruins," IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said. "This onslaught could person caused overmuch much damage, but we were capable to minimize their onslaught with a preemptive onslaught connected rocket launchers crossed confederate Lebanon."

The latest tit-for-tat betwixt Israeli forces and Hezbollah comes arsenic Lebanon is inactive reeling from a question of explosions that deed pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to Hezbollah members connected Tuesday and Wednesday. The explosions killed astatine slightest 37 radical and wounded astir 3,000. The attacks were wide blamed connected Israel, which hasn't confirmed oregon denied responsibility.

Israeli information and rescue forces enactment astatine the tract deed by a rocket fired from Lebanon, successful Kiryat Bialik, bluish Israel, connected Sunday. (AP Photo/Gil Nechushtan)

Israeli forces person been trading occurrence with Hezbollah fighters astir regular since Oct. 8, the time aft Hamas militants stormed into Israel, sidesplitting astir 1,200 radical and taking different 250 arsenic hostages. Hezbollah enactment has said its attacks connected Israel are successful solidarity with its state Hamas successful Gaza.

IDF SAYS KEY HAMAS OPERATIVE KILLED IN GAZA, FOLLOWING CRIPPLING STRIKE ON HEZBOLLAH

The low-level warring has killed dozens successful Israel, hundreds successful Lebanon and displaced tens of thousands connected some sides of the frontier. But the warring has intensified successful caller weeks, with Israel shifting its absorption from Gaza to Lebanon. Some person expressed concerns that the combat against Hezbollah volition strain resources and complicate prospects for an already elusive cease-fire deal.

Retired Army Brig. Anthony Tata told "Fox & Friends" that the struggle would lone turn and chided the Biden administration for what helium deemed a deficiency of "moral clarity." 

Hezbollah members salute adjacent the coffin of Hezbollah commandant Ibrahim Akil during the ceremonial procession successful Beirut's confederate suburb Sunday. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

"It’s captious that Netanyahu keeps his oculus connected the main fight, which is Hamas, and helium eliminates Hamas," Tata said. "The main effort is inactive Hamas. And I deliberation what they person to bash is clasp what they’ve got and clasp disconnected Hezbollah until they decorativeness up Hamas, and past they tin determination to the northbound and … destruct Hezbollah. You can’t bash 2 things astatine erstwhile arsenic well."

Asked Sunday if helium was disquieted astir rising tensions successful the Middle East, President Biden said, "Yes, I am."

"But we’re going to bash everything we tin to support a wider warfare from breaking out. And we’re inactive pushing hard," Biden added. 

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Hamas is inactive holding astir 100 captives from its onslaught successful confederate Israel connected Oct. 7, a 3rd of whom are believed to beryllium dead. More than 41,000 Palestinians person been killed, according to Gaza's Hamas-run Health Ministry, which doesn’t separate betwixt civilians and combatants. 

Meanwhile, the Israeli subject said Sunday it intercepted aggregate aerial devices fired from the absorption of Iraq aft Iran-backed militant groups determination claimed to person launched a drone onslaught connected Israel.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.