At least 100 individuals have been confirmed killed by Lebanese officials as a result of Israel’s most extensive series of airstrikes targeting hundreds of Hezbollah targets on last Monday. The country also issued an evacuation order for any areas where it believed the militant group was keeping weapons.
After some of the bloodiest cross-border gunfire in nearly a year of battle, Israel escalated its attacks as it turned its attention to its northern border, where Hezbollah has been launching rockets into Israel to support Hamas, its ally that is at war with Israel in Gaza.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant declared in a video released by his office on Monday that “we are deepening our attacks in Lebanon and the actions will continue until we achieve our goal to return the northern residents safely to their homes.”
“More than 300 Hezbollah targets are hit by Israel.”
“The Israeli public will need to maintain composure these days.”
He was speaking in response to Israeli military strikes on Hezbollah, which is supported by Iran, in the southern, eastern, and northern regions of Lebanon, close to Syria.
According to Lebanon’s health ministry, Israel’s attacks on last Monday resulted in at least 100 fatalities—including women, children, and medical professionals—and over 400 injuries.
More than 300 Hezbollah targets have been hit so far, according to Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee on X, following an earlier alert that airstrikes were about to occur on homes in Lebanon where “Hezbollah hid weapons.”
Hezbollah responded by claiming that it had fired missiles at military installations in Israel.
The pressure on Hezbollah has increased as a result of the attacks. The group’s Secretary General, Hassan Nasrallah, described the attack that occurred last week as “unprecedented in the history” of the organisation, resulting in the explosion of thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by its members.
Israel was largely held responsible for the operation; however, it has not acknowledged nor refuted this.
According to the Lebanese health ministry, an Israeli attack on a southern suburb of Beirut on Friday targeted senior Hezbollah commanders, killing forty-five of them. This was another devastating blow.
Hezbollah claimed that 16 members of the group, including Ahmed Wahbi and senior leader Ibrahim Aqil, were among the deceased.
According to the Israeli ambulance service, one individual was mildly injured by shrapnel from the most recent missile fire at northern Israel.
The president of Lebanese telecom provider Ogero, Imad Kreidieh, told Reuters on Monday that the network has recorded over 80,000 automated calls requesting people to leave their neighbourhoods. Not every question was addressed.
He went on, calling such calls “psychological warfare to make havoc and chaos.”
A Reuters reporter in the south who received the call claimed that on Monday, people in southern Lebanon received calls from a Lebanese number telling them to immediately stay 1,000 meters (0.6 miles) away from any location used by Hezbollah.
“WAR PSYCHOLOGICAL”
Ziad Makary, Lebanon’s minister of information, claimed his ministry had received a call instructing the building to be evacuated, but he added that the ministry would not follow through on the order. “This is a war of psychology,” Makary said to Reuters.
State employee Joseph Ghafary, who works in the Sassine region of eastern Beirut, expressed his fear that a full-scale war would break out as a result of Hezbollah’s reaction to Israel’s increased strikes.
“Israel will react and destroy even more if Hezbollah conducts a significant operation. We couldn’t stand it,” he remarked.
“Israel is pressuring Sayyed Hassan (Nasrallah) to declare war because it wants to attack and resist. It is undoubtedly risky.
According to Mohammed Sibai, a shopkeeper in the Hamra area of Beirut, the attacks’ escalation marks “the beginning of the war,” as he told Reuters. “What can we do if they want to go to war? We were forced to do it. We are powerless,” he remarked.
Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, a spokesman for the Israeli military, said earlier on television that the evacuation alert was being “distributed in Arabic on all networks and platforms in Lebanon.”
When questioned by media about a potential Israeli ground invasion into Lebanon, Hagari replied, “We will do whatever is necessary” to ensure that the Israeli government’s top priority during this war is the safe return of evacuated inhabitants of northern Israel to their homes.
During a press conference, Hagari showed an overhead video showing what he claimed to be Hezbollah agents attempting to fire cruise missiles from a residential house in Lebanon, as well as the Israeli strike that occurred just in time to prevent the missile launch.
“You are in danger from Hezbollah. putting you and your families in jeopardy,” stated Hagari.
LOW-FLIGHTING WARPLANES
According to Reuters witnesses, Israeli aeroplanes launched a fierce barrage of airstrikes on communities located along Lebanon’s southern border and even further north on Monday morning.
According to a local and Lebanese official media, a missile struck an unoccupied mountainside on Monday, east of the coastal city of Byblos, in a region that has not previously been affected by airstrikes. The region is situated between Shi’ite and Christian villages.
Reporters for Reuters heard several airstrikes close by and heard aeroplanes flying low over southern Lebanon while they were in the southern port city of Tyre.
Hezbollah’s al-Manar reported that aircraft also conducted attacks on the northern Lebanon region of Hermel.
Source: Reuters
