Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has announced a 48-hour nationwide state of emergency starting at 6:00 a.m. local time on Sunday, following preemptive strikes by the Israeli military on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. This emergency declaration is designed to enable the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to carry out essential measures, such as imposing restrictions on public gatherings and shutting down sites considered at risk.
This move is a reaction to the sharp increase in aggression, with Hezbollah taking responsibility for launching over 320 rockets and multiple drones packed with explosives towards northern Israel. Hezbollah has stated that their attacks were aimed at 11 Israeli military bases, significantly escalating the conflict.
The state of emergency allows the IDF to provide safety guidelines to civilians, particularly in high-risk areas, as stated by Defence Minister Gallant. He expressed a strong belief in the likelihood of attacks on civilians in regions previously not under special alert and emphasized the importance of the emergency status across the nation.
The actions of Hezbollah are said to be a direct retaliation for the death of a senior commander, which led Israel to initiate a series of preemptive strikes. IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari had earlier alerted the public to Hezbollah’s intentions to target Israeli civilians.
“We have identified Hezbollah’s preparations to fire missiles and rockets into Israel, and we are taking proactive measures to neutralize this threat,” he explained.
The IDF is targeting terrorist sites in Lebanon, which were reportedly being used as launch pads for attacks on Israeli civilians, according to the IDF Spokesperson in a subsequent video release.