Hezbollah declared a military campaign against Israel on Wednesday night in what Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps described as a “joint and integrated operation,” launching more than 100 rockets, drones, and missiles at over 50 Israeli targets as Jerusalem retaliated with heavy strikes in Beirut and warned the confrontation is now “headed toward a serious escalation.”
Speaking as sirens sounded across northern and central Israel, the IRGC said the assault was carried out in coordination with Hezbollah, with Iran launching ballistic missiles while the Lebanese terror group fired waves of rockets and drones at Israeli territory.
The barrage marked Hezbollah’s largest attack of the current war.
Israeli assessments cited across multiple reports said roughly 100 to 150 rockets were launched from Lebanon over several hours Wednesday night, targeting communities across the Galilee and Haifa area before some long-range fire extended farther south.
Air raid sirens sent hundreds of thousands of Israelis rushing to shelters.
Israel’s emergency service, Magen David Adom, said two people were lightly wounded after impacts in northern Israel, including a rocket that struck a home in the Lower Galilee village of Bi’ina. Several others were treated for anxiety following the barrage.
Iran simultaneously launched ballistic missiles toward Israel as part of what the IRGC said was a coordinated operation targeting more than 50 sites, including areas near Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Beersheba.
Hezbollah said the assault marked the start of a new military campaign dubbed “Operation Eaten Straw.”
The name references Surah Al-Fil (“The Elephant”) in the Quran, which recounts the destruction of an invading army that attempted to attack the Kaaba holy site in Mecca and was ultimately left “like eaten straw” after divine intervention.
Israel responded within minutes.
The Israel Defense Forces said it launched a wide-scale wave of strikes across Lebanon, targeting rocket launchers, command centers, and other Hezbollah infrastructure.
In the early hours of Thursday morning, the IDF said Israeli forces struck 10 Hezbollah headquarters and command facilities in Beirut’s Dahieh district within roughly 30 minutes, including intelligence headquarters and a command center belonging to Hezbollah’s elite Radwan unit.
The Israeli Air Force, working with ground forces, also struck more than 20 additional targets across Lebanon and destroyed dozens of rocket launchers prepared to fire into Israel, the military said.
“The IDF is operating with determination against the Hezbollah terrorist organization as a result of the terrorist organization’s decision to deliberately attack Israel on behalf of the Iranian regime,” the military said in a statement.
“The IDF will not tolerate any harm to the residents of the State of Israel.”
The strikes lit up the skies over Beirut as explosions shook the city’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold that Israel has repeatedly warned civilians to evacuate ahead of its bombardments.
Israeli officials said Hezbollah’s objective in launching the attack is to open a second front aimed at diverting Israel’s attention away from the campaign against Iran.
“Hezbollah, in its calculations, wants to turn our attention away from Iran,” one senior Israeli official said, according to Israeli media.
The terror group believes that by escalating from Lebanon, it can force Israel to ease pressure on Iran, the official said, but added that Jerusalem has no intention of doing so.
“That won’t happen,” the official said. “Therefore, this is heading toward a serious escalation.”
Israel has already begun preparing for that possibility.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir ordered significant reinforcements to Israel’s northern front, including redeploying the Golani Brigade from Gaza to Northern Command — a move widely interpreted as preparation for a potential expansion of ground operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
Israeli officials have also warned that if Lebanon’s government fails to restrain the Iran-backed terrorist organization, Israel could dramatically expand its military campaign.
“The Lebanese government needs to get a grip on their country,” a senior Israeli official told Israeli media.
Otherwise, the official warned, “Hezbollah parts of Beirut will soon look like Gaza.”
By early Thursday morning in Israel, the strategic picture had become clear: Hezbollah had formally escalated the war with a large-scale rocket assault, Iran had openly acknowledged coordination in the attack, and Israel was already responding with heavy strikes and preparations for what officials say could become a far broader confrontation along the northern front.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
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