By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Hezbollah launched a large-scale barrage of rockets, drones, and missiles against Israel late Wednesday in what Iranian officials described as a coordinated operation involving Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), prompting swift Israeli retaliation and warnings from Israeli officials that the confrontation could expand significantly.
Air raid sirens sounded across northern and central Israel as projectiles were launched from Lebanon and Iran simultaneously, forcing large numbers of residents to seek shelter. The attack marked Hezbollah’s largest offensive of the current conflict.
Israeli assessments cited in reports from The Times of Israel indicated that roughly 100 to 150 rockets were fired from southern Lebanon over several hours. The rockets targeted communities in the Galilee and the Haifa region, with some long-range fire reaching areas farther south.
Footage and updates circulating online documented the moment air raid sirens began sounding across Israel during the attack.
Israel’s national emergency service, Magen David Adom, reported that two people suffered light injuries after impacts in northern Israel, including a rocket that struck a home in the Lower Galilee village of Bi’ina. Several others received treatment for anxiety following the strikes.
Video shared online showed damage from rockets landing in residential areas.
At the same time Hezbollah was launching rockets from Lebanon, Iran fired ballistic missiles toward Israel as part of what the IRGC described as a joint and integrated operation. Iranian officials said more than 50 targets were involved, including areas near Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Beersheba.
Hezbollah announced that the attack marked the beginning of a new military campaign called “Operation Eaten Straw.” The name references Surah Al-Fil in the Quran, which recounts the destruction of an invading army that attempted to attack the Kaaba in Mecca and was left “like eaten straw.”
Israel responded quickly to the coordinated attack.
The Israel Defense Forces said it began a large wave of retaliatory strikes targeting Hezbollah military infrastructure across Lebanon.
According to the Israeli military, Israeli aircraft struck rocket launch sites, command centers, and other facilities used by Hezbollah forces.
In the early hours of Thursday morning, Israeli officials said the air force carried out a concentrated series of strikes in Beirut’s Dahieh district, a Hezbollah stronghold. The IDF said 10 headquarters and command facilities were hit in approximately 30 minutes, including intelligence sites and a command center belonging to Hezbollah’s Radwan unit.
The Israeli military said it also targeted more than 20 additional sites across Lebanon and destroyed dozens of rocket launchers that had been positioned to fire into Israeli territory.
“The IDF is operating with determination against the Hezbollah terrorist organization as a result of the terrorist organization’s decision to deliberately attack Israel on behalf of the Iranian regime,” the military said in a statement released through its operational updates page at the Israel Defense Forces. “The IDF will not tolerate any harm to the residents of the State of Israel.”
Images circulating online showed explosions lighting up the sky above Beirut as Israeli airstrikes struck Hezbollah-controlled areas.
Israeli officials said Hezbollah’s decision to launch the large-scale attack appeared aimed at opening a second front in the conflict and diverting Israeli military attention from operations targeting Iran.
“Hezbollah, in its calculations, wants to turn our attention away from Iran,” a senior Israeli official said, according to reporting from The Times of Israel.
The official added that Israel had no intention of easing its pressure on Iran.
“That won’t happen,” the official said. “Therefore, this is heading toward a serious escalation.”
Israeli military leadership has already begun preparing for the possibility of a broader conflict along the northern border.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir ordered additional reinforcements deployed to Israel’s northern command, including moving the Golani Brigade from operations in Gaza to the northern front, according to reporting by The Jerusalem Post.
Israeli officials have also warned that if Lebanon’s government does not restrain Hezbollah’s military activity, Israel could expand its military campaign further.
“The Lebanese government needs to get a grip on their country,” a senior Israeli official told media outlets, according to reporting from The Times of Israel.
Otherwise, the official warned, “Hezbollah parts of Beirut will soon look like Gaza.”
By early Thursday morning, Israeli authorities said the strategic situation had shifted significantly: Hezbollah had carried out its largest attack of the war, Iran publicly acknowledged coordination with the Lebanese militant group, and Israeli forces were already conducting extensive strikes in Lebanon while preparing for the possibility of further escalation along the northern front.
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