Adedokun Waliyu 
The Israeli military says 100 of its fighter jets launched pre-emptive strikes into Lebanon after identifying that Hezbollah was “preparing to fire missiles and rockets toward Israeli territory”.
Israel said the jets “struck and destroyed thousands of rocket launcher barrels” across dozens of launch sites in Lebanon on Sunday.
Shortly after the strikes from Israel, Hezbollah said it launched hundreds of rockets and drones into Israeli territory.
The group said it fired more than 320 rockets, adding that the “first phase” of its attack against Israel is complete.
It said the strikes were a retaliation for the assassination of a senior commander in Beirut last month.
Hezbollah described Israel’s pre-emptive strike claims as “empty”, adding that they “contradict the facts on the ground and will be refuted” later today.
Lebanon’s ministry of health says three people have been killed in the south of the country following the strikes.
The ministry also confirmed the death of a fighter from the allied Shia Amal movement.
In a separate statement, the ministry said an Israeli attack on the village of Tiri killed two people, without providing further details.
