The Israeli military said it hit more than 300 targets in Lebanon in one of the most intense rounds of airstrikes in nearly a year of fighting against Hezbollah.
At least 100 people were killed and more than 400 wounded, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry, making it the deadliest day in Lebanon since the conflict began in October.
Before the escalation began with a wave of beeper explosions last Tuesday, some 600 people had been killed in Lebanon since a year ago, mostly fighters but also more than 100 civilians. The Israeli military announced the campaign on social media, with a photo purportedly showing army chief Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi authorizing additional strikes from army headquarters in Tel Aviv.
Halevi and other Israeli leaders have vowed tougher action against Hezbollah in the coming days.
Hezbollah said in a statement that it had fired dozens of rockets at an Israeli military post in the Galilee. It also struck for a second day the facilities of the Haifa-based defense firm Rafael. As Israel continued its strikes, officials reported that air raid sirens had been activated in northern Israel to warn of rocket fire from Lebanon. On Monday morning (local time), Israel urged people in southern Lebanon to evacuate homes or any other buildings where it claimed Hezbollah weapons were located, and said the military would carry out “extensive attacks” against the political and military group. It was the first such warning in nearly a year of a slowly escalating conflict, which followed a particularly intense exchange of fire on Sunday in which Hezbollah launched more than 100 rockets, missiles and drones into northern Israel in retaliation for recent attacks that killed a top commander and dozens of his fighters. There was no immediate indication of an exodus from towns in southern Lebanon, and the warning left open the possibility that some people could be living in or near targeted structures without knowing they were in danger. The escalation of attacks and counterattacks has raised fears of open war as Israel continues to battle the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza and seek to recover dozens of hostages captured in the Oct. 7 attack. Hezbollah has vowed to continue its attacks in solidarity with the Palestinians and Hamas, which like the Lebanese group receives support from Iran, while Israel says it is committed to restoring calm to the border. Associated Press journalists in southern Lebanon reported heavy airstrikes on many locations early today, including some far from the border. The National News Agency, a Lebanese state media outlet, said the strikes had hit a forested area in the central province of Byblos for the first time since fighting began in October. Israel also bombed targets in the northeastern regions of Baalbek and Hermel, where a shepherd was killed and two relatives were wounded, the news agency said. The Lebanese Health Ministry asked hospitals in southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley to postpone surgeries that could be done later. The ministry said in a statement that its request was intended to keep hospitals ready to deal with people injured by “the increasing Israeli aggression on Lebanon.” An Israeli army official said the country was focusing on air operations and had no immediate plans for a ground operation. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with internal regulations, said the strikes were intended to end Hezbollah’s ability to launch new projectiles at Israel. Lebanese media said people had received text messages urging them to leave any buildings where Hezbollah stores weapons until further notice. “If you are in a building housing weapons for Hezbollah, stay away from the town until further orders,” the message read in Arabic, according to Lebanese media. Lebanese Information Minister Ziad Makary said in a statement that his office in Beirut had received a recorded message telling people to leave the building. “This falls within the psychological war waged by the enemy,” Makary said, urging people “not to give the matter more attention than it deserves.” It was not immediately clear how many people would be affected by the Israeli orders. Towns on both sides of the border have largely emptied due to the near-daily exchanges of fire. Israel has accused Hezbollah of turning entire towns in the south into militant bases, complete with rocket launchers and other hidden infrastructure. That could lead it to launch an especially heavy bombing campaign, even if it does not bring in ground troops. The military said it had struck more than 150 sites on Monday. Residents of different villages in southern Lebanon posted photos on social media of the attacks on their localities. The National News Agency also reported airstrikes in different locations. An Israeli airstrike in a Beirut suburb on Friday killed a senior Hezbollah military commander and more than a dozen Hezbollah members, as well as dozens of civilians, including women and children. Last week, thousands of communications devices used mainly by Hezbollah members exploded in different locations in Lebanon, killing 39 people and wounding nearly 3,000 others. Lebanon blamed Israel for the attacks, although the country has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility. Hezbollah began firing at Israel the day after the Oct. 7 attack, in what it described as an attempt to keep Israeli forces busy helping Palestinian fighters in Gaza. Israel has responded with airstrikes, and the conflict has escalated over the past year. The violence has killed hundreds of people in Lebanon, dozens in Israel and displaced tens of thousands on both sides of the border. It has also sparked fires that have destroyed crops and scorched the landscape. Israel has vowed to push Hezbollah back from the border so its citizens can return home, saying it prefers to do so diplomatically but is prepared to use force. Hezbollah, for its part, has said it will continue its attacks until there is a ceasefire in Gaza, but that appears increasingly unlikely as the war approaches its first anniversary. Hamas-led militants stormed southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping another 250. About 100 hostages remain in Gaza, a third of whom are believed to be dead, after most were released during a weeklong ceasefire in November. The Israeli offensive has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count, but says women and children account for just over half of the dead. Israel says it has killed more than 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.
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