Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced a 48-hour nationwide state of emergency starting at 06:00 am (0300 GMT) on Sunday after the Israeli military carried out what it described as pre-emptive strikes in Lebanon.
This emergency declaration gives the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) the authority to issue directives to Israeli citizens, including restrictions on gatherings and the closure of certain sites as necessary.
Gallant emphasised the likelihood of attacks on civilian areas beyond those covered by previous local emergency measures, thus extending the state of emergency across other parts of the country.
The statement reads; “The declaration on the state of emergency enables the IDF (Israeli military) to issue instructions to the citizens of Israel, including limiting gatherings and closing sites where it may be relevant,” Gallant said, in a statement issued by his office.
“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 separate statement, the defense ministry said Gallant briefed US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin on the overall situation.
“We have conducted precise strikes in Lebanon in order to thwart an imminent threat against the citizens of Israel,” Gallant told Austin, according to the statement.
“We are closely following developments in Beirut, and we are determined to use all the means at our disposal in order to defend our citizens.”
The exchange of attacks between Hezbollah and Israel has intensified since the onset of Israel’s Gaza conflict in October, with this latest development marking a notable escalation in the cross-border tensions.
Hezbollah’s retaliatory strike was expected, coming weeks after the targeted killings of senior commanders in Hezbollah and Hamas, attributed to Israel.
The Lebanese organisation claimed to have launched over 320 Katyusha rockets targeting 11 Israeli military installations, including the Meron base and four sites in the occupied Golan Heights. This exchange marks a significant escalation in the months-long cycle of tit-for-tat attacks between the two sides.
Israel claims to have preemptively struck thousands of Hezbollah rocket launch sites in southern Lebanon with 100 jets, half an hour before a planned attack, to safeguard its citizens.
However, subsequent Israeli drone and airstrike attacks resulted in casualties, with one person critically injured in Qasimia and another killed in Khiam, according to Lebanon’s NNA news agency.
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