TRANSCRIPT
Hezbollah – the Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and militant group – launched its promised revenge attack against Israel for the assassination of senior military commander Fuad Shukr last month.
The scenes were dramatic, but still relatively contained.
But the question that remains: what's to come?
During an hour-long speech, the group's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, says Hezbollah had finished — at least or now.
“(If) the result is satisfactory and achieves the intended goal, then we consider that the operation in retaliation for the killing of Al-Hajj Mohsin (referring to top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr) and the targeting of Dahiyeh (Beirut's southern suburbs) is done. And if the result is not enough from our point of view, then we retain the right to respond another time."
Hezbollah and Israel exchanged heavy fire, with Israel launching pre-emptive strikes in southern Lebanon and Hezbollah firing rockets and drones in response.
By the end, three Hezbollah fighters and one Israeli naval officer were reported killed.
The Iran-backed militant group says it launched 340 rockets into the border region of northern Israel and attacked 11 military bases.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet address gave a different version of events.
“What happened today is not the end of the story. Hezbollah tried to attack the State of Israel with rockets and drones early in the morning. We instructed the IDF to carry out a powerful pre-emptive strike to remove the threat. The IDF destroyed thousands of short-range rockets, all of them were intended to harm our citizens and our forces in the Galilee. In addition, the IDF intercepted all the UAVs that Hezbollah launched at a strategic target in the centre of the country.”
The rocket exchange occurred on what is known as Arbaeen – or the fortieth – traditionally a day of mourning for Shia Muslims who remember the martyrdom of Islamic prophet Muhammad's grandson.
Ian Parmeter, research scholar at the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies, says the timing put Israel on high alert.
"Israel was probably aware or certainly aware of the significance of the fortieth day of morning after the Ashura, and would've been on the lookout. It claimed to have seen preparations for quite a number of missiles and rockets to be fired. So, it took pre-emptive action."
As is usually the case between Israel and its foes, both sides have claimed victory.
Hezbollah’s narrative – Israel prevented nothing.
Nasrallah says Israel bombed "empty valleys" and only damaged two fixed launch sites that had already been evacuated.
Mr Parmeter says the rocket exchange that played out is likely the result of a debate within Iran.
"Iran wanted to retaliate but did not want Israel's and the United States' retaliation to get out of hand to start a major regional war. It could have had Israeli and US attacks on Iranian territory, and perhaps an attempt to destroy the Iranian nuclear program which is deep underground. Iran didn't want that to get out of control, so it seems to have opted for using its proxy Hezbollah to launch an attack."
Meanwhile, patients and displaced Palestinians are fleeing Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital – the last functioning medical facility in central Gaza – after Israel issued more evacuation orders for the city of Deir el-Balah.
In a post to social media platform X, Doctors Without Borders says Israel’s evacuation orders for the area have left “hundreds of thousands of displaced people with a so-called ‘humanitarian zone’ of just 41 square kilometres in which to seek shelter”.
Sawsan Abu Afesh, a displaced Gazan fleeing the hospital, says there is nowhere left to run.
“This is my eleventh time becoming displaced, they ordered us to move out of Al-Aqsa hospital and I have no idea where to go with my children. I left half of my children behind near my furniture and I am now with my little ones and my daughter, only God can help us. May God not forgive whoever let us down. I have no money for transportation. I will go to the Area 17 by foot where my family are staying. I took my kids and three but three are left behind."
While Israel may have blunted Hezbollah’s attack, other threats remain.
Iran's promised "harsh punishment" for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has not yet materialised.
Nasrallah indicated both Iran and the Houthi militia in Yemen are planning their own attacks on Israel.
“Our operation today, in any case, may be very useful for the negotiations, for the Palestinian side or the Arab side that is negotiating alongside the Palestinian team; and its message is clear to the enemy and to those behind the enemy, to the Americans, that any hopes of shutting down the supporting fronts - whether in Lebanon, in Yemen, or in Iraq, these fronts that are actually open - these hopes are dashed.”
Hezbollah says it delayed its revenge to give mediators a chance to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza, but talks in Cairo have now ended with no outcome.
Egyptian security sources say neither Israel nor Hamas agreed to the compromises presented.
