Israel carried out airstrikes in Lebanon early Sunday morning, which the military said hit positions of the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah.

In a statement, the Israeli military accused Hezbollah of “preparing to fire rockets into Israeli territory.”

“In a self-defense action to eliminate these threats, the (Israeli military) is striking terrorist targets in Lebanon from which Hezbollah planned to carry out its attacks against Israeli civilians,” said Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari.

Hagari warned: “Hezbollah will soon fire rockets, and possibly missiles and UAVs, into Israeli territory.” Shortly after the warning, sirens sounded in northern Israel.

Israel Airports Authority also reported that it had temporarily suspended flights to and from Ben Gurion International Airport. Flights already en route to the airport were diverted to other airports.

Lebanese media reported strikes in the south of the country without immediately giving more details. Social media images showed what appeared to be strikes in southern Lebanon.

In his statement, Hagari said: “We can see that Hezbollah is preparing for a large-scale attack on Israel, endangering Lebanese civilians.”

Hagari did not provide additional details about the intelligence he cited.

“We are warning civilians in areas where Hezbollah is active that they must immediately move out of the danger zone for their own safety,” he said.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted photos of Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant overseeing the operation from the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv.

The fear has been great in recent weeks that the War between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip could escalate into a regional conflict after an Israeli attack a top Hezbollah commander killed and a suspected Israeli assassination operation in Iran has killed a Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

Earlier this month, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said, said the US was preparing for a possible attack by Iran and its allies in retaliation for these killings.

The USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier equipped with F-35 fighter jets, and the USS Georgia, a guided missile submarine, have recently been deployed to the Middle East in response.