Hezbollah said its fighters fired missiles toward Israel on Friday, as the region awaits Iran’s response to the suspected Israeli strike on the Iranian Consulate in Syria.
The Iran-backed Lebanese group said it fired dozens of Katyusha rockets at the Israeli military’s artillery positions, according to Hezbollah’s Manar news agency.
Al Jazeera reported the explosion of air interception rockets above border villages in southeast Lebanon.
Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said several rockets were fired Friday evening from Lebanon toward Israel, stating that most of the rockets were intercepted. Those that were not downed fell in open spaces and did not cause casualties, he said.
“Our defense system is ready to react to each threat separately, and so is our offensive system, with diversified capabilities,” Hagari added.
The Israeli military said at 1:41 p.m. ET that around 40 launches were identified from Lebanese territory, some of which were intercepted.
LEBANON: At least 50 rockets fired from the southern part of the country toward northern Israel. pic.twitter.com/zBwbICbIF3
— Hamdah Salhut (@hamdahsalhut) April 12, 2024
The development comes as the region braces for Iran’s response to Israel allegedly striking the Iranian Consulate in Syria last week. The strike killed seven members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and chiefs of the Israeli security agencies met Friday evening at the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv for a three-hour discussion, assessing the security situation in light of Iran’s threats.
A senior Israeli security source told Ynet after the assessment meeting that “there is no need to panic. If Iran will attack, there is enough time to prepare and intercept (either missiles or drones).” The unnamed source added that “there is maximal cooperation with the Americans and with other elements. We are at the highest state of preparedness.”
Gallant met Friday with the head of US Central Command (CENTCOM), Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, to discuss the situation. After the meeting, Gallant said, “We discussed the tight cooperation between Israel and the United States; between the armies and between the defense systems.”
He added, “Our enemies think they can put a wedge between Israel and the United States, but the contrary is true. They bring us closer together and deepen the connection between us. We are standing shoulder to shoulder in our battle.”
This Friday meeting came in addition to a meeting between Kurilla and IDF chief of staff Herzi Halevi.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
