Israel and Hezbollah retreated after exchanging heavy artillery fire, shaking a region braced for war.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel launched a series of airstrikes across southern Lebanon early Sunday in what it called a preemptive strike to thwart a major rocket and missile attack by Hezbollah, which said it had fired hundreds of rockets and drones in retaliation for the killing of its top commander last month.

Both sides had ceased heavy artillery fire by mid-morning and indicated there would be no further escalation for the time being, as diplomats hoped for a regional de-escalation after high-level talks in Egypt aimed at a ceasefire in the 10-month war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Israel and Hezbollah have said they were only targeting military targets. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the attack was delayed to allow for ceasefire talks and that the target was an Israeli military intelligence base near Tel Aviv. Hezbollah, like Hamas, is backed by Iran.

The Israeli military said one navy soldier was killed and two others were wounded by the interceptor's strikes or shrapnel. Two Hezbollah fighters and one from an allied group were killed, the group said.

Hezbollah said the attack on the Israeli military site was an initial retaliation for the killing of Fouad Shukr in an Israeli air strike in Beirut last month. Nasrallah said attacks on Israel would continue “because there is still a response from (allies) Iran and Yemen.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military had cleared thousands of rockets aimed at northern Israel and shot down a drone heading toward the country's center.

“I repeat, this is not the end of the story,” he added. Israeli President Isaac Herzog told CBS that Israel's actions “prevented escalation into a major war,” but the threat remains.

Air raid sirens sounded and planes were diverted.

Air raid sirens sounded across northern Israel and Israel's international airport was closed for about an hour and flights were diverted. Israel's Home Front Command later lifted the restrictions in most areas.

Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said Hezbollah intended to strike targets in northern and central Israel. He said initial assessments showed “very little damage” but that the military remained on high alert. He said about 100 Israeli aircraft took part in the attack.

Hezbollah said the attack involved more than 320 Katyusha rockets aimed at multiple Israeli locations and a “large number” of drones. It said the operation targeted “high-quality Israeli military targets that will be announced later,” as well as “enemy positions, barracks and Iron Dome (missile defence) platforms.”

Hezbollah said the attack would enable further attacks deeper into Israel, but in a later statement said “today's military operation is completed,” denying Israel's claim that it had thwarted a more powerful attack. Neither Israel nor Hezbollah have offered any evidence to support the claim.

Some Israelis were shaken. In the northern city of Akko, Saadia Even Tzur, a 76-year-old retired teacher, said he was at the synagogue when his bedroom was damaged and returned home five minutes later. “I went upstairs and realized the magnitude of the miracle that had happened to me,” he said, his windows shattered and debris strewn over his bed.

Lebanon's caretaker Economy Minister Amin Salam said after an emergency government meeting that officials were “a little more optimistic” about de-escalating tensions. “We feel more secure because both sides have confirmed that the planned operations have been completed,” he said.

National Security Council spokesman Sean Sabet said President Joe Biden is “closely monitoring the situation in Israel and Lebanon.” The Pentagon said Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. C.Q. Brown is on a tour of the region including Israel, Egypt and Jordan.

All-out war appears to have been averted for now.

Randa Slim, a senior fellow at the Washington, D.C.-based Middle East Institute, said the firefight “is still within the rules of engagement and is unlikely to lead to all-out war at this point.”

Danny Shitrinovich, an expert at the Israel Institute for National Security Studies, said Hezbollah may be “trying to maintain a balance without escalating into war.” Both sides are hoping their claims will be enough to claim victory and avoid a broader conflict, Shitrinovich said.

Hezbollah began attacking Israel shortly after the start of the Gaza war, which began with a Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7. Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging gunfire almost daily, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee on both sides of the border.

Hezbollah, which fought a stalemate with Israel in 2006, is now believed to be much stronger. The United States and Israel estimate that it has about 150,000 rockets capable of striking anywhere in Israel. Hezbollah has also developed drones and precision-guided weapons that can evade Israeli defenses.

Israel has vowed to respond forcefully to any major attack by Hezbollah. It has an extensive, multi-layered missile defense system and is backed by a U.S.-led coalition that helped shoot down hundreds of missiles and drones fired from Iran earlier this year. U.S. forces have been building up their forces in the region in recent weeks.

Hezbollah is a close ally of Iran, which has also threatened to retaliate against Israel for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month, though Israel has not said whether it was involved.

Iranian state media on Sunday trumpeted the Hezbollah attack, calling it a success, but there was no immediate comment from Iranian officials.

The United States and other mediators see a ceasefire in Gaza as key to averting a wider war in the Middle East, and Hezbollah has said it would stop attacks on Israel if one is achieved.

Egypt on Sunday held high-level talks in Cairo, including with CIA Director William Burns and Israeli spy agency Mossad chief David Barnea, aimed at bridging the gap between a ceasefire and the release of scores of hostages held by Hamas.

Hamas sent a delegation to receive briefings from Egyptian and Qatari intermediaries but did not directly participate in the negotiations.

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Associated Press reporters Kareem Shehaieb in Beirut, Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, Samy Magdy in Cairo, Alexis Tribollard in Acre, Israel and Amer Madani in Buellton, California contributed.