Lebanon’s Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets into northern Israel late Friday night, as US officials warn Iran against an imminent attack.
Tel Aviv confirmed that Hezbollah launched a massive wave of attacks on northern Israel, firing between 40 and 50 rockets that were almost entirely intercepted by Israeli air defences, mostly Patriot systems were engaged.
The Israel Defence Forces said they detected about 40 rockets flying from Lebanon into Israel, some of which were intercepted by air defence systems, and they also managed to intercept two drones carrying explosives that Hezbollah militants used to attack Israel earlier on Friday.
It was unclear whether the Hezbollah rocket and drone attacks were part of Iran’s efforts to retaliate against an Israeli strike on Iran’s diplomatic compound earlier this month. Earlier, two US officials told CBS News that a major Iranian attack on Israel was expected on Friday. It was expected to involve more than 100 drones and dozens of missiles targeting military targets inside the country.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned on Wednesday that Israel “must be punished and will be punished” for the April 1 attack, days after one of his advisers said Israeli embassies were “no longer safe.”
Earlier, a US Defence Department spokesman said the US was moving “additional assets” into the region to support regional deterrence efforts and increase the protection of US forces.
The US assured Israel of full support, describing aid to Israel as “an ironclad commitment,” according to White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby. US naval forces in the Red Sea have already intercepted long-range missiles launched by Houthis in Yemen toward Israel. US forces in Iraq and Syria could also intercept drones and rockets aimed at northern Israel, depending on where they were launched from.
He also said: “We are in constant communication with our Israeli counterparts about making sure that they can defend themselves.”
Despite the statements already made, US actions and the deployment of additional resources to deter Iranian aggression have so far done little to assuage growing concerns. Up to now, Tehran has not publicly announced how or when it will return fire, so it is unclear what Iran’s response will be. If the Iranians decide to attack Israel directly, it could worsen Israel’s war with Iranian ally Hamas into a wider regional conflict.
