The threat of an attack on Israel by Iran and its terrorist proxies still exists following Israel's foiling of a large-scale attack by the Hezbollah terrorist organization on Sunday morning, Pentagon spokesperson Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder said Monday.
Ryder said, “I would point you to some of the public comments that have been made by Iranian leaders and others… we continue to assess that there is a threat of attack."
Iran has been threatening to launch a massive attack against Israel for nearly a month following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran at the end of July. Israel has not commented on Haniyeh's assassination.
Hezbollah, likewise, has been threatening to retaliate for the assassination of one of its leaders, Fuad Shukr, in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut several hours before Haniyeh's assassination.
Early Sunday morning, Israel launched a pre-emptive strike on Hezbollah sites shortly before Hezbollah was about to launch an attack consisting of thousands of rockets and drones, destroying the majority of the rockets and rocket launchers.
Approximately 100 IAF 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.
Some 6,000 rockets, UAVs and launchers that Hezbollah had planned to fire at Israel were destroyed.
It is estimated that Hezbollah has managed to fire 300 projectiles in response thus far. The organization claimed that additional waves were to be expected. Israel National News - Arutz Sheva
