Lebanon convenes emergency government session, Israel declares state of emergency

(Patria) - Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati has convened an emergency cabinet session to discuss a series of Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon.

Israel carried out more than 40 airstrikes on southern Lebanon in an attempt to prevent a broad Hezbollah offensive, reports Index.

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Middle East Escalation: Israel Attacked Targets in Lebanon with 100 Aircraft, Hezbollah Retaliated with 320 Rockets

(Patria) - Israeli military fighter jets attacked locations housing Hezbollah rocket launchers in southern Lebanon this morning, the Israeli military announced, reports RSE.

Three people were killed in these attacks, including a fighter from the Amal political party, an ally of Hezbollah. Four people were also lightly injured.

These Israeli attacks were among the most intense since the beginning of the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel following Hamas's attack on October 7.

The Lebanese National News Agency reported that the Israeli attacks caused wildfires.

Hezbollah claimed that the Israeli preemptive strikes did not affect its offensive and that all drones were launched "according to plan".

The Lebanese group attacked 11 military bases in northern Israel and launched more than 320 rockets before announcing the end of its military operation, which it said was retaliation for Israel's killing of its top military commander Fouad Shukr in Beirut a month ago.

Israeli officials stated that their preemptive action prevented strikes on central Israel. Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah announced that he would give a speech today at 6 PM.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared a state of emergency for the next 48 hours, granting the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) the authority to issue restrictions on civilian movement.

Following the latest assessment of the situation, Gallant declared a special situation on the home front throughout Israel, the Israeli Ministry of Defense announced.