Hezbollah announces retaliatory strike against Israel

The pro-Iranian militia Hezbollah said early on Sunday it had begun its retaliation against Israel for the killing of one of its commanders in Beirut.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant declared a 48-hour state of emergency across Israel, in response to the escalating security threat.

He said that the emergency situation would be in force for the next 48 hours, from 6 am (0300 GMT).

Earlier, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement it had discovered that Hezbollah would "soon fire rockets, and possibly missiles and UAVs" towards Israeli territory.

"In a self-defense act to remove these threats, the IDF is striking terror targets in Lebanon, from which Hezbollah was planning to launch their attacks on Israeli civilians," army spokesman Daniel Hagari said.

"We warn the civilians located in the areas where Hezbollah is operating to move out of harm's way immediately for their own safety," he added.

Israel would not tolerate Hezbollah's attacks on Israel's civilian population, Hagari warned.

Security circles in Lebanon confirmed the Israeli attacks.