Hezbollah says it has attacked Israel with a large number of drones and rockets, in response to the killing of a top commander last month but Israel “pre-emptively” launched airstrikes inside Lebanon, in what it called “an act of self-defence”.

Israel launches strikes in Lebanon and Hezbollah fires hundreds of rockets in major escalation

Israel has launched a wave of “pre-emptive” airstrikes in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah – as the militant group said it had fired drones and hundreds of rockets.

Hezbollah said its attack on Israeli military positions was an initial response to the killing of one of its founders and top commanders in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut last month.

At least three people were killed in the strikes in Lebanon, according to the Associated Press news agency, but the full extent of casualties and damage was not immediately known.

A few hours after the initial Israeli strikes, the IDF said it had struck more Hezbollah launchers in several areas of southern Lebanon “to remove threats”. It also said it identified a terrorist cell operating in Khiam in southern Lebanon.