Israel thwarts Hezbollah missile fire exchange, says, ‘Thank God for Iron Dome’ | Watch video

In a post on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), Israel has thanked its 'Iron Dome' defence mechanism for its ability to withstand missiles launched by Iran-backed Hezbollah.

Posting a video on X, Israel's official account wrote, “Thank God for the Iron Dome.”

Israel, Hezbollah in Major Missile Exchange

Reuters described the attack as visible smoke from the missiles “curling up through the dawn sky, dark vapour trails behind them.” It added that an air raid siren was sounded in Israel, and “a distant blast lit the horizon, smoke rose over houses in Khiam in southern Lebanon.”

Hezbollah launched hundreds of rockets and drones at Israel early on August 24 (Sunday), Reuters reported. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said they struck Lebanon with about 100 jets “to thwart a larger attack”, it added.

This is among the biggest clashes between the IDF and Hezbollah in over 10 months.

‘Happy To Avoid Escalation, But…’

So far, three deaths have been confirmed in Lebanon and one in Israel in the recent fire. The Reuters report noted that while both sides have “indicated they were happy to avoid further escalation”, warnings were also given for "more strikes" in the future.

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said the Iranian-backed group's barrage, a reprisal for the assassination of senior commander Fuad Shukr last month, had been completed “as planned”.

However, the group would assess the impact of its strikes and "if the result is not enough, then we retain the right to respond another time", he said.

Israel's foreign minister said the country did not seek a full-scale war, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned: “This is not the end of the story.”

Earlier, he had said: “We are determined to do everything we can to defend our country ... whoever harms us - we harm him”.

Expectations of an escalation had risen since a missile strike in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights last month killed 12 youths, and the Israeli military assassinated Shukr in Beirut in response.

Gaza Ceasefire At Standstill

Meanwhile, there is still no agreement on a ceasefire in Gaza despite talks that took place in Cairo (Egypt). Israel and Hamas have disagreed with several compromises presented by mediators.

However, a senior United States official described the talks as "constructive" and said the process would continue in the coming days.

The White House said US President Joe Biden was following events. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was "deeply concerned" by the escalation, as per his spokesperson. And Egypt and Jordan also warned against escalation.

(With inputs from Reuters)