Monday Briefing: Israel and Hezbollah Exchange Major Attacks

The site of an Israeli airstrike on the Lebanese side of the border yesterday.Credit…Kawnat Haju/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Israel and Hezbollah exchanged major cross-border fire

Israel’s military and Hezbollah fired back and forth in one of the largest cross-border barrages since the war in Gaza began. Here’s the latest.

Israel said that roughly 100 of its fighter jets bombed more than 270 targets connected to Hezbollah in southern Lebanon yesterday, a figure which could not be independently verified. Hezbollah said it had answered with more than 320 rockets at nearly a dozen Israeli military bases and positions.

Both sides claimed that their actions had been a success. Israel said its attack was a pre-emptive defense against Hezbollah rockets, and Hezbollah said it had retaliated for the killing last month of Fuad Shukr, a senior Hezbollah commander, in Beirut.

For now, at least, the exchange of attacks fell short of the major escalation that many had feared after Shukr was killed. Both sides later appeared to signal that they did not intend to escalate further. This timeline shows how the attack unfolded.

Elsewhere in the war:

• In a show of support for Israel and an attempt to deter Iran, the U.S. has steadily moved Navy forces closer to the area, including two aircraft carrier groups and a guided-missile submarine.

• Israel’s hunt for Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader, has been like chasing a ghost. His ability to manage a military campaign while evading capture or death has denied Israel a major victory.

• Palestinians fled the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza after the Israeli military again ordered people to “immediately” leave parts of Deir al-Balah.