Inside Israel: Northern Israel on alert after major preemptive strike on Lebanon's Hezbollah

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

While Israel announced on Sunday that it had carried out a preemptive strike on Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah's missile platforms and drones, Israel believed it had achieved a major accomplishment on the northern front.

The operation was aimed at thwarting a major attack that Hezbollah was reportedly planning in response to the assassination of one of its commanders, Fouad Shokor.

Residents across northern Israel, from the Lebanese border to the Golan Heights and even near Tel Aviv, were awakened early Sunday by widespread air activity and air raid sirens. 

The decision to launch the preemptive strike came after a consultation between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and senior security officials to prevent a broad response from Hezbollah. The meeting, held in an underground bunker at the Defense Ministry, was followed by a session of the Israeli Cabinet, which concluded as the military operation ended.

While Israeli reports claimed that military and intelligence sites were hit, including Unit 8200 and a Mossad base, the Israeli army later denied that Hezbollah struck these specific locations. 

However, the attack did trigger significant unrest among northern residents, with mayors, particularly the mayor of Metula, voicing concerns over potential escalation following the preemptive strikes. 

Some mayors even suggested withdrawing from the north entirely, comparing the situation to the Gaza settlements' evacuation, dubbing the operation "Peace for  Tel Aviv" as a nod to the 1982 "Peace for Galilee" invasion.

The preemptive strike received mixed reactions from northern residents, who saw it as a move to protect Tel Aviv at their expense. 

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant spoke with his US counterpart, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, affirming Israel's right to self-defense and stressing that the next move was up to Hezbollah. 

Some former military officials speculated that recent visits by American officials to Israel were linked to preparations for this strike.

By morning, Ben Gurion Airport was shut down, and a state of war emergency was declared across much of northern Israel, extending to Tel Aviv, in anticipation of further conflict. 

The Israeli army reported that approximately 350 rockets and drones were launched from Lebanon, resulting in the death of one soldier and injuries to others, including damage to a naval vessel off the coast of Nahariya and property damage in the north.