TEL AVIV: Days after Israel confirmed the death of a senior Hamas commander, the country’s defence forces said that around 30 projectiles were launched from Lebanon toward northern Israel in the nighttime volley, reported The Times of Israel.
Lebanon-based Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for the attack, claiming to target a military base, according to the Hezbollah-affiliated Al Mayadeen site, The Times of Israel reported.
The Israel Defence Forces said that several of them landed in open areas and there were no casualties. They further added that it was striking the area from where the rockets were fired.
Following the attack, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the deployment of a guided missile submarine to the Middle East amid escalating tensions in the region, according to the Pentagon, taking the rare step of announcing the movements of a submarine.
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin held a conversation with Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday night and informed him that they have ordered two ships and one submarine to Israel to help defend them, reiterating the US’s commitment to the defence of Israel, according to a readout from the US Defense Department from Monday overnight.
The Pentagon, in its statement, said that Austin has also ordered the Abraham Lincoln strike group to accelerate its deployment to the region.
During the call, Gallant informed Austin that Iranian military preparations indicated Iran was preparing for a significant attack against Israel, a source briefed on the conversation shared, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Israel confirmed last week the death of a senior Hamas commander who directed terror attacks in Judea and Samaria. The Israel Defence Forces said it received intelligence verifying that Nael Sakhl was killed in an airstrike on July 24.
Tensions in West Asia have escalated after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on July 31 that Ismail Haniyeh had been killed in an attack in Iran’s capital, Tehran.
In a statement, the IRGC said that Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were killed when their house was hit in Tehran. Haniyeh, who was based in Qatar, was in Tehran to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Iran’s newly elected President Masoud Pezeshkian. (ANI)