In the last few hours, Israeli fighter jets have been shelling targets of "Hezbollah" in southern Lebanon and hit hundreds of rocket launchers that were in immediate readiness for attacks on the territory of Israel, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA, citing the Israeli armed forces.
The military said its fighter jets had hit about 100 rocket launchers capable of firing a total of about 1,000 missiles since last night afternoon.
"The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) will continue to act to limit the infrastructure and capabilities of the terrorist organization "Hezbollah" in order to protect the State of Israel", the armed forces said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the White House said a diplomatic solution was achievable and urgently needed, and Britain called for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. The US is "fearful and concerned about potential escalation," said White House spokeswoman Karin Jean-Pierre.
The intense shelling followed attacks earlier in the week attributed by Lebanon and "Hezbollah" of Israel, in which Hezbollah radios and pagers exploded, and in Lebanon, 37 people were killed and about 3,000 injured.
Israel on Tuesday warned US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in a phone call that a military operation would be carried out in Lebanon, but did not provide any details, US officials said, quoted by the Associated Press. Officials stressed that the US played no role in the attacks, which blew up communications devices, and said they were surprised by the specifics of the operations.
During last night's operation, Israel dropped dozens of bombs in southern Lebanon, three Lebanese security sources said. There are currently no reports of casualties.
Israeli radio stations reported that dozens of fighter jets struck Hezbollah targets, including about 100 rocket launchers.
The Israeli military said it struck dozens of Hezbollah targets, including missile sites and weapons depots in southern Lebanon.
In a televised address last night, the leader of "Hezbollah" Hassan Nasrallah said the device explosions on Tuesday and Wednesday "crossed all red lines".
"The enemy has gone beyond all control mechanisms, laws and morality,", he said, adding that the attacks "can be seen as war crimes or a declaration of war.
Israel has not yet commented directly on the blasts of pagers and radios, which security sources said were likely orchestrated by Israel's Mossad intelligence agency, which has a long history of carrying out sophisticated attacks on foreign soil, it said. Reuters.
The Lebanese mission to the UN said in a letter to the Security Council last night that Israel was responsible for detonating the devices via electronic messages and embedded explosives that were planted before the devices were imported into Lebanon.