Israel, Hezbollah Exchange Rocket and Missile Fire, Pull Back for Now

The Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist group launched hundreds of rockets and drones at Israel early on Aug. 25, as Israel’s military stated that it struck Lebanon with about 100 jets to thwart a larger attack.
Footage posted to social media shows Iron Dome missiles intercepting targets coming from Lebanon in Israel’s north. Local media reported rocket sirens across northern Israel, including in Golan Heights’ Katzrin and several Upper Galilee border communities. Drone sirens were also reported sounding in several Galilee towns.
As the sirens rang in Israel, Hezbollah released a statement saying that over the preceding hours, it had launched more than 320 rockets and several drones carrying explosives toward northern Israel. The terrorist group stated that the attacks targeted 11 military bases. It did not mention Israel Defense Forces (IDF) airstrikes reported in Lebanon.
With three deaths confirmed in Lebanon and one in Israel, both sides indicated that they were ready to avoid further escalation for now but warned that there could be more strikes to come.
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said the Iranian-backed group’s barrage, a retaliation for the assassination of senior commander Fuad Shukr last month, had been completed “as planned.”
However, the group would assess the effects of its strikes.
“If the result is not enough, then we retain the right to respond another time,” Nasrallah said.
Israel’s foreign minister said the country did not seek a full-scale war, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that “this is not the end of the story.”
Hagari said Hezbollah did manage to launch about 210 rockets and 20 drones toward northern Israel.
“After extensive identification, the [Israeli Air Force] and Northern Command began proactively and broadly striking Hezbollah targets in order to remove the threats aimed at the citizens of Israel,” he said. “We are removing threats against the Israeli home front. Dozens of IAF jets are currently striking targets in various locations in southern Lebanon. We are continuing to remove threats, and to intensively strike against the Hezbollah terrorist organization.”
Hezbollah said in a later statement that Israel’s claims about its defensive strikes disrupting its planned attacks on central Israel were “empty claims that contradict the facts on the ground.”
Twenty minutes earlier, it stated in an update that the service had been placed “on peak alert” because of government assessments of Israel’s security situation.
Hagari also sent a warning to Lebanese civilians in southern Lebanon: “We have identified that Hezbollah is firing extensively into Israeli territory near your homes—you are in danger. We are targeting and removing Hezbollah’s threats.”
The office of Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said the IDF strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon came in response to confirmations of an imminent major missile and drone attack on Israel. After Hezbollah’s attacks, the minister reached out to numerous counterparts seeking their support for Israel’s defensive actions, stressing that Israel was acting in self-defense and is not interested in a wider war.
The White House stated in response, “We will keep supporting Israel’s right to defend itself, and we will keep working for regional stability.”
The Pentagon stated that the United States remains committed to the defense of Israel against attacks by Iran and its proxies.
Netanyahu’s office stated that he and his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, were coordinating the Israeli response from their military headquarters in Tel Aviv. Gallant declared a “special situation on the home front,” and Netanyahu’s Security Cabinet was set to meet later in the morning of Aug. 25.
The “special situation” includes measures such as some restrictions on civilian movement for at least 48 hours.
Hagari had said during a press conference on Aug. 24 that the military was poised in expectation of a “significant week.”
“Our readiness is very high in attack and defense,” he said.
By 7 a.m. local time on Aug. 25, Israel’s airport authority stated that flights in Israel had resumed.
After the Hamas terrorist group launched its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, during which it killed about 1,200 Israelis and took 250 more hostage, Hezbollah followed with frequent attacks on Israeli communities and military posts along the Lebanon–Israel border. It stated that its actions were in support of Gaza amid Israel’s vow to eliminate Hamas.
So far, the fighting to Israel’s north with Hezbollah has resulted in dozens of civilian deaths and the deaths of IDF members. Hezbollah has named more than 400 of its members who have been killed by Israel, mostly in Lebanon but some in neighboring Syria. Dozens of civilians have also been reported killed in Lebanon amid the fighting.