Israel said it was at war with Hamas following the surprise dawn attack from the blockaded Gaza Strip that has so far killed more than 100 people on its territory, according to The Times of Israel.

"Hezbollah congratulates the resisting Palestinian people," the Lebanese Shia movement said in a statement, hailing Hamas and its armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, for the "large-scale, heroic operation".

Hezbollah said its leadership was following the developments and "in direct contact with the leadership of the Palestinian resistance at home and abroad".

In 2006 Hezbollah and Israel fought a 34-day war that left more than 1,200 dead in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and 160 in Israel, mostly soldiers.

Israel has imposed a crippling blockade on Gaza since 2007 after Hamas took power.

Israeli violence against Palestinians has surged since early last year.

In its statement, Hezbollah said the Hamas operation in Israel was a "response to the continued crimes of the occupation and the continued assault on holy sites."

The Iran-backed group also said the Hamas operation was "a message to the Arab and Muslim world and the entire international community, especially those seeking normalisation".

I added the bold parts:

The spike in violence comes at an extremely sensitive moment in US-Israel relations as Biden has warned of the ongoing judicial reforms hazards to the health of Israel's democracy.

Washington has also been pushing for Israel and Saudi Arabia to establish diplomatic ties. It is not yet clear how the ongoing escalation will affect normalization prospects for both sides.