The Israel Defense Forces has reportedly killed hundreds in its widening air campaign against Hezbollah
Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike hit the Tyre, in southern Lebanon © Getty Images / Stringer; Anadolu
The Israeli military carried out a series of airstrikes on Lebanon on Monday, reportedly killing over 270 people. The strikes, which have been described as the deadliest since the 2006 Israeli-Hezbollah war, come amid the Jewish State’s expanding campaign against the Lebanese militant group.
Lebanese authorities have reported that over 1,000 people have been injured. The country’s Health Minister Firass Abiad has claimed that the strikes have hit hospitals, medical centers and ambulances.
The government has ordered schools and universities across the country to begin preparing shelters as thousands of people flee from the southern regions of Lebanon.
Israel, meanwhile, has announced that it has hit some 800 targets, claiming to have been targeting Hezbollah weapons sites.
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23 September 2024
16:12 GMT
Israeli jets carried out an airstrike in Beirut targeting senior Hezbollah commander Ali Karaki, the Times of Israel reported, citing security sources. Karaki is allegedly the head of Hezbollah’s southern command, responsible for military activity in south Lebanon, and a member of the Jihad Council.
- 16:06 GMT
Hezbollah has issued a statement claiming to have targeted two Israeli bases in retaliation for the Jewish state’s attacks on southern Lebanon. The group says it has launched dozens of rockets at the two bases.
- 15:57 GMT
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says the army is expanding strikes against Hezbollah positions “all over Lebanon.”
The Israeli military has also announced on X that it is currently targeting the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
- 15:53 GMT
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has claimed that Israel’s strikes on Lebanon are an attempt to create a “wider conflict” and has warned that a war in the Middle East would not benefit anyone.
A spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry has also described the strikes as “insane” and has warned of “dangerous consequences” for West Jerusalem’s “new adventure.”
- 15:53 GMT
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has expressed “grave concern” over Israeli strikes and their impact on civilians in southern Lebanon. The organization has called for a “diplomatic solution” and urged Israel and the Lebanon-based armed group Hezbollah to prioritize civilian lives.
- 15:39 GMT
Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad has urged hospitals to stop taking regular light cases to make space for those wounded in the Israeli airstrikes in the south.
He has also announced plans to turn first-aid centers into places that can receive the injured. The displaced who have cancer, kidney failure and chronic diseases are planned to be transferred to other medical centers.
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