In the early hours of Sunday morning, Hezbollah launched dozens of rockets toward Beit Hillel settlement in northern Israel, possibly over 50, triggering Israel’s Iron Dome anti-air defense system. The sky lit up over northern Galilee as several social media videos captured intercepts. Although many rockets were intercepted, Israeli media reported multiple impacts with unknown casualties and the outbreak of fires in the region.
The cross-border rocket fire had been ongoing since Friday, with Hezbollah claiming to have fired a surface-to-air missile at an Israeli warplane flying in Lebanese airspace overnight and forced it to turn back. The organization also conducted two artillery attacks and two rocket strikes at military positions in northern Israel.
Despite the escalating tensions, this conflict appears limited and contained for now, but concerns persist that a full-scale war involving Iran could break out in the region. Speculation has arisen about potential increased Russian defense support to Iran amidst its standoff with Israel following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh this week.
The US embassy in Lebanon issued an alert warning American citizens to leave Lebanon on “any ticket available” as the likelihood of a major war between Israel and Hezbollah, as well as Iran, grows. Several international and Western airlines have suspended service to the region. The embassy encouraged those who wish to depart Lebanon to book any ticket available, even if it does not immediately follow their first-choice route.
Hezbollah Secretary General Hasan Nasrallah warned of a “new phase” in the war following an Israeli airstrike that targeted and killed his top military chief Fuad Shukr this week. Iran’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations indicated that Hezbollah is expected to strike deeper inside Israel, no longer confining itself to military targets.
If the situation begins to spiral, it is likely that the US military will use its significant naval assets in the Mediterranean to begin evacuating American nationals from Lebanon. On Friday night, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered additional navy cruisers, destroyers, and a fighter squadron to deploy to the Middle East.
