US declares no involvement in Israel’s strikes on Hezbollah

On Sunday, a US defense official confirmed that the United States assisted Israel in tracking Hezbollah’s attacks, emphasizing that the US military did not participate in the preemptive strikes that Israel launched against the Lebanese group.

“We continue to closely monitor the situation and remain well-positioned and ready to support Israel’s self-defense against attacks from Iran and any of its proxies,” the official told CNN.

In recent weeks, the US military has bolstered its presence in the Middle East, deploying the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln to the region, joining the USS Theodore Roosevelt. Additionally, a squadron of US Air Force F-22 Raptors and a submarine armed with cruise missiles have been sent to the area.

Hezbollah announced on Sunday that it had launched an attack involving numerous drones and over 320 Katyusha rockets targeting military sites in northern Israel, “in retaliation for the Israeli airstrike that killed senior Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukr, on July 30.”

Shortly before Hezbollah’s announcement, the Israeli military had reported conducting strikes in southern Lebanon to thwart a “major attack” by the Iran-backed group.

The Israeli military stated that it destroyed “thousands of Hezbollah rocket launchers” in southern Lebanon during a series of wide-ranging strikes early Sunday, involving approximately 100 fighter jets.

Meanwhile, an Israeli naval soldier was killed in northern Israel following the Hezbollah attack, the Israeli military confirmed.

In Lebanon, at least three people were killed and two others wounded as a result of the Israeli airstrikes, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Health.

Two diplomats told Reuters that Israel and Hezbollah exchanged messages through intermediaries following the cross-border exchanges on Sunday, signaling that neither side is seeking further escalation, according to sources familiar with the communications.