Update on the curious high-tech war between Iran plus its proxies and Israel

From last night:

Breitbart:

Report: Hezbollah Had Planned to Hit Tel Aviv at 5:00 a.m.

The New York Times reported Saturday evening that Hezbollah had planned to hit Tel Aviv with missiles at 5:00 a.m. Sunday morning Israel time, which is why the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a pre-dawn preemptive strike.

The Times’ Ronen Bergman reported:

Israel’s preemptive attack was aimed at missile launchers in Lebanon that had been programmed to be fired at 5 a.m. in the direction of Tel Aviv, according to a Western intelligence official. The official said that all the launchers that were targeted were destroyed and that Israel was anticipating a harsh response from Hezbollah.

As Breitbart News reported, the IDF launched a large preemptive strike early Sunday morning local time, preempting what it said was a major imminent attack by Hezbollah. Israeli authorities urged residents of the northern half of the country, from Tel Aviv northwards, to stay near bomb shelters and safe rooms, and prohibited public gatherings of more than 130 people as a precaution. It said people should feel free to go to work if they were near available shelters.

IDF: Israel Hit ‘Thousands’ of Hezbollah Launchers; Lebanon: One Dead

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Sunday that it had hit “thousands” of Hezbollah rocket launchers in southern Lebanon in a pre-dawn preemptive strike to thwart an attack on Tel Aviv. Lebanon reported one dead in the attack.

In a statement, the IDF said:

Approximately 100 [Israel Air Force] fighter jets, directed by IDF intelligence, struck and destroyed thousands of Hezbollah rocket launcher barrels that were located and embedded in southern Lebanon. Most of these launchers were aimed toward northern Israel and some were aimed toward central Israel. More than 40 launch areas in Lebanon were struck during the strikes. 

The Lebanese media reported one dead in the attack, according to the Times of Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement from the “Kirya,” Israel’s military headquarters, in Tel Aviv (translated from Hebrew by the Government Press Office):

This morning we identified Hezbollah preparations to attack Israel. In consensus with the Defense Minister and the IDF Chief-of-Staff, we directed the IDF initiate action to eliminate the threat.

Since then, the IDF has been taking strong action to foil the threats. It has eliminated thousands of rockets that were aimed at northern Israel. It is thwarting many other threats and is taking very strong action – both defensively and offensively.

Citizens of Israel, I request that you adhere to the directives from IDF Home Front Command.

We are determined to do everything to defend our country, to return the residents of the north securely to their homes and to continue upholding a simple rule: Whoever harms us – we will harm them.

According to some reports, Hezbollah had been planning to launch a barrage of thousands of rockets at Tel Aviv. After the Israeli airstrike, Hezbollah launched hundreds of rockets, to little effect. More Hezbollah rockets were expected.