Israel declares state of emergency after battering Iran-backed group with strike

A Hezbollah unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crossing from Lebanon gets intercepted by an Israeli fighter jet over an area near the Lebanon-Israel border (Picture: EPA)

Israel has launched the largest airstrikes across Lebanon, hitting more than 40 Hezbollah sites – in what it called ‘an act of self-defence’ – while the militant group responded by firing drones and hundreds of Katyusha rockets.

In a statement, the Israeli military accused the Iran-backed group of ‘preparing to fire missiles...