The country, which is already at war with Hamas in Gaza, warned its citizens to expect incoming missiles and drones launched by Hezbollah and declared a 48-hour nationwide state of emergency.

Israel today announced that it was conducting pre-emptive strikes in Lebanon after detecting preparations for “large-scale” attacks by the Iran-backed group Hezbollah.

Lebanon-based Hezbollah said it had launched large-scale rockets and drones toward Israel in an “initial response” to the killing of its commander Fuad Shukr last month.

Fighters also targeted “a number of enemy positions and barracks and Iron Dome platforms… with a large number of rockets”, it said.

The Middle East has been on edge for weeks after Hezbollah and Iran vowed to respond to an Israeli strike in Beirut that killed a senior commander of the group as well as the assassination in Tehran of Hamas’s political leader, also blamed on Israel.

Benjamin Netanyahu Says Will “Do Everything” To Protect Israel