'You hit us, we will hit you' South Lebanon residents left reeling by IDF barrage

Like every morning, Ali Abu Khudoud woke just before dawn yesterday to perform the fajr prayer.

- William Christou

His daily ritual, however, was interrupted when the windows began to rattle and his house shook. As the sound of dozens of lowflying war planes and airstrikes grew louder, it became clear this was more than the occasional bout of shelling he was used to.

"It was a very hard night and an even harder morning. My daughter woke up and began to call for me. It feels like it's too near, nobody could sleep," said Abu Khudoud, a shopkeeper in the city of Nabatieh in south Lebanon.

Israel yesterday carried out its most intense aerial barrage on Lebanon since the war in Gaza began in October, launching more than 40 airstrikes across nearly 30 locations. Israeli officials claimed the attack was pre-emptive, directed at Hezbollah missile launchers aimed at targets inside Israel, detected by intelligence agencies the day before.

Lebanon's health ministry said three people had been killed, with two more injured. Hezbollah and its allied political party, Amal, announced the death of three of its fighters a few hours later.