Hezbollah's Biggest Attack Prompts Israel To Declare 48-Hour Emergency; US Says 'Ready To Defend Ally'| Updates

In response to Hezbollah's attack, Israel launched pre-emptive strikes against the militant group. The Israeli Defence Forces announced these deterrence strikes early on Sunday, stating that they have received intelligence about a large-scale attack by the Hezbollah inside the country's territory.

Israeli Air Force fighter jets have been deployed to eliminate these threats, targeting Hezbollah positions that presented an immediate risk to Israeli civilians, IDF added.

The recent escalations in Middle East tensions came after Israel neutralised Fuad Shukr, a senior Hezbollah commander in a targeted strike launched weeks ago. Hezbollah had vowed to avenge the death of Shukr and declared Israeli action as a direct act of provocation.

Israel Announces 48-Hour Emergency

As the threat of a major attack by Iran-backed Hezbollah deepened, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant announced a 48-hour nationwide state of emergency from 06:00 am Sunday.

“I am convinced that there is a high probability of an attack against the civilian population in areas of the country where the declaration of a special situation did not apply,” he said, referring to previous local emergency measures. “I hereby declare a special situation on the home front in other areas of the country. The situation is valid for 48 hours starting at 6:00 am,” Gallant said in a statement issued by his office.

US Ready To Defend Ally

Meanwhile, Israel's all-weather ally US said that it would defend Jerusalem in the wake of imminent threat. In a statement, the Pentagon said that the US is postured to defend the ally.

“We continue to closely monitor the situation and have been very clear that the US is postured to support the defence of Israel,” a Pentagon spokesman said in a statement.