Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that more “surprise blows” will be struck against Iran-backed terrorist groups after the Israeli military (IDF) reportedly struck launch pads in Lebanon minutes before Hezbollah was set to fire thousands of rockets into central Israel.

“What happened today is not the end of the story. Hezbollah attempted to attack the State of Israel early in the morning with rockets and drones,” Netanyahu said Sunday morning during a government meeting in Tel Aviv. “We have instructed the IDF to carry out a powerful preemptive strike to eliminate the threat.”

“The IDF destroyed thousands of short-range rockets, and all of them were intended to harm our citizens and our troops in the Galilee,” he continued. “In addition, the IDF intercepted all the UAVs that Hezbollah launched for a strategic target in the center of the country. We are hitting Hezbollah with surprise blows… Three weeks ago we took out its chief of staff, and today we thwarted its plan of attack.”

“Nasrallah in Beirut and Khamenei in Tehran must know that this is another step towards changing the situation in the north and returning our residents safely to their homes,” Netanyahu added. “And I repeat – this is not the end of the story.”

ISRAEL ATTACKS TARGETS IN LEBANON TO THROW OUT PREPARED HEZBOLLAH ATTACKS: IDF

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant meet at the Israeli Defense Ministry after the Israeli army’s preemptive strikes on Hezbollah, August 25, 2024. (Israeli Government Press Agency)

In an earlier statement, White House National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said President Biden is “closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon.”

“He has been busy with his national security team all evening. At his direction, senior US officials have been in constant communication with their Israeli counterparts. We will continue to support Israel’s right to defend itself and we will continue to work for regional stability,” Savett added.

Officials said it was National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan who led the updates to Biden throughout the night.

After Hezbollah announced last night that its attack was over, White House officials said they would continue to monitor the situation.

“There is no indication at this point that there will be another round,” an official told Fox News.

A Western intelligence official told The New York Times that Israel’s preemptive strike was aimed at destroying rocket launchers in Lebanon that were programmed to be fired toward Tel Aviv at 5 a.m.

The Israeli military was able to carry out a pre-emptive strike on thousands of rocket launchers in Lebanon after information from Israeli intelligence agencies, including the Israeli army’s Military Intelligence Directorate (MID), showed that Hezbollah planned to use them to attack strategic military locations in central Israel, including the Gush Dan region, Israel’s English-language newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported.

According to the newspaper, the Israeli military also intercepted drones flying from Lebanon and aimed at central Israel.

About 100 Israeli Air Force (IAF) fighter jets, directed by IDF intelligence, struck and destroyed “thousands of Hezbollah rocket launchers located and embedded in southern Lebanon,” the IDF said earlier. “Most of these launchers were aimed at northern Israel and some were aimed at central Israel, and more than 40 launch sites in Lebanon were hit in the strikes.”

This photo, taken from a position in northern Israel, shows a Hezbollah unmanned aircraft intercepted by the Israeli Air Force over northern Israel on August 25, 2024. (Jalaa Marey/AFP via Getty Images)

According to the Israeli military, forces have targeted Hezbollah launchers in several areas in southern Lebanon to eliminate the threat. They have also identified a terrorist cell operating in the Khiam area of ​​southern Lebanon.

“The IAF quickly attacked the terrorists,” the IDF wrote on X.

During an earlier press conference, IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that the Israeli forces identified “extensive preparation by the terrorist organization Hezbollah to target the Israeli home front.”

“After extensive identification, the IAF and the Northern Command began proactively and broadly striking Hezbollah targets to eliminate threats targeting the citizens of Israel,” Hagari said. “We are eliminating threats against the Israeli home front. Dozens of IAF jets are currently striking targets in various locations in southern Lebanon. We continue to eliminate threats and intensively strike the Hezbollah terrorist organization.”

The Israeli military said it struck because Hezbollah planned to fire a heavy barrage of rockets and missiles into Israel. Shortly after, Hezbollah announced it had carried out an attack on Israeli military positions in response to the killing of Fouad Shukur, one of its founders, in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut last month.

By midmorning, the exchange appeared to be over, with both sides saying they had attacked only military targets, The Associated Press reported.

Israeli Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said Hezbollah planned to strike targets in northern and central Israel. He said initial assessments showed “very little damage” in Israel, but that the military remained on high alert.

Rockets fired from southern Lebanon are intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome aviation system over the Upper Galilee region in northern Israel on August 23, 2024. (Jalaa Marey/AFP via Getty Images)

The Lebanese Ministry of Health reported that two people were killed and two others injured in the attacks in southern Lebanon.

On another occasion, a fighter from the Amal group, which is allied with Hezbollah, was killed in an attack on a car, Amal said.

HEZBOLLAH ACTIVITIES KILLED IN ISRAELI AIR STRIKES AS TERROR GROUP FIRES 100 ROCKETS AT JEWISH STATE

Hezbollah said the strike included more than 320 Katyusha rockets, targeting multiple locations in Israel, and a “large number” of drones. It said the operation targeted “a high-quality Israeli military target to be announced later” as well as “enemy sites and barracks and Iron Dome (missile defense) platforms.”

Hezbollah said the strikes would enable it to carry out more attacks deeper into Israel, but a later statement said “military operations have been completed for today.” The terrorist group said it had struck 11 bases, barracks and military positions in northern Israel, including the Golan Heights, and rejected Israel’s claim that it had thwarted a stronger attack. Hezbollah provided no evidence for its claims.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is expected to deliver a speech later on Sunday.

After an emergency government meeting, Lebanon’s interim Economy Minister Amin Salam said authorities were “slightly more optimistic” about a de-escalation.

An Israeli Air Force fighter jet fires flares as it intercepts an enemy plane taking off from Lebanon over the border area with southern Lebanon on August 25, 2024. (Jalaa Marey/AFP via Getty Images)

“We feel reassured now that both sides have confirmed that the expected operations have ended, and we know that the negotiations in Cairo are very serious,” he said.

Meanwhile, high-level talks are being held in Egypt on Sunday to broker a ceasefire in the 10-month war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, in a move diplomats hope will ease tensions in the region.

The US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General CQ Brown, Jr., is expected to travel to the Middle East to participate in the negotiations.

“In the coming days, the chairman will visit key allies and partners in the region, Egypt, Jordan and Israel, as a demonstration of America’s long-term commitment to the Middle East and to deepen his understanding of the different perspectives on the ongoing tensions,” Joint Staff spokesman Navy Capt. Jereal Dorsey said in a statement Saturday.

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“In each country, the chairman will meet with his counterparts and other officials for discussions,” Dorsey said. “General Brown will continue to emphasize the importance of preventing further escalation of hostilities, protecting U.S. forces in the region, supporting U.S. self-defense by Israel, and conducting a coordinated effort to provide humanitarian assistance to civilians. As ceasefire negotiations continue, the chairman’s visit is a reflection of the importance of reaching an agreement that returns the hostages, ends the violence, and allows the entire region to focus on the next steps toward a safer, more stable Middle East.”

Yonat Friling, Lucas Tomlinson, Kate Sprague of Fox News and the Associated Press contributed to this report.