Israel says it has launched airstrikes against hundreds Hezbollah targets on Monday, killing 356 people in Lebanon’s deadliest day in decades, according to authorities, as the conflict has dragged on for nearly a year. Iran-backed enemy. After some of the heaviest exchanges of fire since the war last October, Israel warned people in Lebanon to evacuate the area where said armed movement stores weapons.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu sent a short video statement addressed to the Lebanese people. “Israel’s war is not with you, it is with Hezbollah. For too long Hezbollah has used you as a human shield,” he said. After nearly a year of fighting Hamas in Gaza on its southern border, Israel is shifting its focus to its northern border, where Hezbollah has been firing rockets into Israel in support of Hamas, also backed by Iran. The Israeli military said it had struck Hezbollah in southern, eastern and northern Lebanon.
Lebanon’s health minister Firass Abiad said the attack hit hospitals, medical centers and ambulances. He said 356 people were killed, including 24 children and 42 women, and 1,246 were injured. One official said it was the highest daily death toll in Lebanon from violence since the 1975-1990 civil war. It was also the deadliest attack since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war.
Tens of thousands fled southern Lebanon “because of Israeli atrocities”, the Lebanese minister coordinating the crisis response, Nasser Yassin, said. He said 89 temporary shelters in schools and others have been activated, with a capacity of more than 26,000 people so far.
On Monday evening, an Israeli strike on the southern outskirts of Beirut targeted Hezbollah commander Ali Karaki, head of the southern front, but his fate was unclear, a security source told Reuters. Earlier, Israeli defense minister Yoava Gallant said the campaign would continue until “we achieve the goal of returning the northerners to their homes safely”. Hezbollah has vowed to fight until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.
The Israeli military said it had struck about 1,300 Hezbollah-linked targets in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa valley. “Among the targets attacked were buildings where Hezbollah hides rockets, missiles, launchers, UAVs and additional terrorist infrastructure,” he said. Hezbollah has not commented on Israel’s claims of hiding weapons at home, but has previously said it does not place military infrastructure near civilians.
In response to the attack, Hezbollah said it had launched missiles at a military base in northern Israel. Warning sirens from Hezbollah rocket fire sounded across northern Israel, including the port city of Haifa, and the occupied northern part of the West Bank. Also targeted for the second day was the Rafael defense company facility in Haifa. About 180 projectiles crossed into Israeli airspace, the AFP report said.
An Israeli military spokesman said Israeli planes were preparing to strike Hezbollah strategic weapons stored in homes in the Bekaa valley and urged civilians to evacuate immediately. The attack added pressure on Hezbollah, which last week suffered heavy losses when thousands of pagers and radios used by its members were blown up. In another major blow, an Israeli raid on the outskirts of Beirut on Friday struck a senior Hezbollah commander, killing 45 people.
The fighting has fueled fears that the US, its ally Israel, and Iran will be drawn into a wider war. Due to the financial crisis, Lebanon could not afford a war like the one in 2006, when Israel attacked during the month-long conflict with Hezbollah, causing massive damage to its infrastructure.
The US is sending more troops to West Asia
The United States is sending additional troops to West Asia amid ongoing violence between Israel and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon, the Pentagon said Monday. Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder would not say how many additional troops would be added or what they would do. The US currently has around 40,000 troops in the region. As Israel prepares for further operations, the state department warns Americans to leave Lebanon because the risk of a regional war is rising.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu sent a short video statement addressed to the Lebanese people. “Israel’s war is not with you, it is with Hezbollah. For too long Hezbollah has used you as a human shield,” he said. After nearly a year of fighting Hamas in Gaza on its southern border, Israel is shifting its focus to its northern border, where Hezbollah has been firing rockets into Israel in support of Hamas, also backed by Iran. The Israeli military said it had struck Hezbollah in southern, eastern and northern Lebanon.
Lebanon’s health minister Firass Abiad said the attack hit hospitals, medical centers and ambulances. He said 356 people were killed, including 24 children and 42 women, and 1,246 were injured. One official said it was the highest daily death toll in Lebanon from violence since the 1975-1990 civil war. It was also the deadliest attack since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war.
Tens of thousands fled southern Lebanon “because of Israeli atrocities”, the Lebanese minister coordinating the crisis response, Nasser Yassin, said. He said 89 temporary shelters in schools and others have been activated, with a capacity of more than 26,000 people so far.
On Monday evening, an Israeli strike on the southern outskirts of Beirut targeted Hezbollah commander Ali Karaki, head of the southern front, but his fate was unclear, a security source told Reuters. Earlier, Israeli defense minister Yoava Gallant said the campaign would continue until “we achieve the goal of returning the northerners to their homes safely”. Hezbollah has vowed to fight until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.
The Israeli military said it had struck about 1,300 Hezbollah-linked targets in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa valley. “Among the targets attacked were buildings where Hezbollah hides rockets, missiles, launchers, UAVs and additional terrorist infrastructure,” he said. Hezbollah has not commented on Israel’s claims of hiding weapons at home, but has previously said it does not place military infrastructure near civilians.
In response to the attack, Hezbollah said it had launched missiles at a military base in northern Israel. Warning sirens from Hezbollah rocket fire sounded across northern Israel, including the port city of Haifa, and the occupied northern part of the West Bank. Also targeted for the second day was the Rafael defense company facility in Haifa. About 180 projectiles crossed into Israeli airspace, the AFP report said.
An Israeli military spokesman said Israeli planes were preparing to strike Hezbollah strategic weapons stored in homes in the Bekaa valley and urged civilians to evacuate immediately. The attack added pressure on Hezbollah, which last week suffered heavy losses when thousands of pagers and radios used by its members were blown up. In another major blow, an Israeli raid on the outskirts of Beirut on Friday struck a senior Hezbollah commander, killing 45 people.
The fighting has fueled fears that the US, its ally Israel, and Iran will be drawn into a wider war. Due to the financial crisis, Lebanon could not afford a war like the one in 2006, when Israel attacked during the month-long conflict with Hezbollah, causing massive damage to its infrastructure.
The US is sending more troops to West Asia
The United States is sending additional troops to West Asia amid ongoing violence between Israel and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon, the Pentagon said Monday. Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder would not say how many additional troops would be added or what they would do. The US currently has around 40,000 troops in the region. As Israel prepares for further operations, the state department warns Americans to leave Lebanon because the risk of a regional war is rising.
