Israel continues strikes in Lebanon, hits Houthi targets in Yemen

The Israeli military hit Lebanon with more airstrikes on Sunday after killing the Hezbollah militant group’s leader and other officials, and also bombed Houthi targets in Yemen, as Israel stepped up its offensive against Iran and its proxies.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Sunday that its airstrikes in Lebanon had also killed other Hezbollah commanders, a day after the Iran-backed militant group confirmed that Hassan Nasrallah, its leader since 1992, had been killed in an Israeli attack on Friday.

The attacks have dealt stunning blows to Hezbollah after almost a year of cross-border fire, killing much of its leadership.

The IDF said the strikes in Yemen were in response to recent attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels against Israel. “The targets included power plants and a seaport, which were used by the Houthis to transfer Iranian weapons to the region, in addition to military supplies and oil,” the IDF said.

Israeli warplanes “attacked dozens of terrorist targets in Lebanese territory in recent hours,” the IDF said in a post on social media early Sunday. The IDF said the targets included launchers aimed at Israeli territory and sites where weapons were being stored.

The Iran-backed militant group vowed to “continue the holy war” against Israel, while Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Nasrallah’s killing “shall not go unavenged.”  

The IDF later Sunday said that another senior Hezbollah official, Nabil Qaouk, was killed Saturday night in an airstrike in Beirut. The IDF said Qaouk was the commander of the militant group’s preventive security unit and a senior member of its executive council.

Also killed was Hassan Khalil Yassin, a senior official in Hezbollah’s intelligence operation, the IDF said in a separate statment.

The Middle East is bracing for possible retaliation for the killings and bombings, which represent a dramatic escalation of the conflict roiling the region. Some countries have urged their citizens to leave Lebanon, as fears grow of a possible Israeli ground invasion.

The Israeli military has attacked hundreds of Hezbollah targets throughout Lebanon in recent days, the IDF said, as it seeks to disable the group’s operations and infrastructure. The strikes  have killed more than 30 people and wounded almost 200, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.

“The IDF continues to attack and eliminate the commanders of the terrorist organization Hezbollah, and to act against anyone who threatens the citizens of the State of Israel,” the IDF said.

Hezbollah began a campaign of cross-border strikes on Israel a day after its Palestinian ally Hamas staged its unprecedented attack on Israel last October, killing 1,200 people and triggering the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli military said last week that it was preparing for a possible occupation of territory in Lebanon, and has sent two brigades to northern Israel to train for a potential ground invasion.

This story has been updated.