Israel attack Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, at least 274 killed

Israel attacked hundreds of Hezbollah targets on Monday in airstrikes that Lebanese health authorities said killed at least 274 people, making it the deadliest day in Lebanon in nearly a year of conflict.

After some of the heaviest cross-border exchanges of fire since the conflict flared, Israel warned people to evacuate areas where it said the armed group was storing weapons.

After almost a year of war against Hamas in Gaza on its southern border, Israel is shifting its focus to its northern border, from where Hezbollah has been firing rockets into Israel in support of its ally Hamas.

Israel’s military on Monday targeted Hezbollah in Lebanon’s south, eastern Bekaa Valley and northern region near Syria in its most widespread strikes. The military then said Monday evening that it had carried out a targeted strike in Beirut, without giving specific details. 

In a recorded message to Lebanese civilians, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged them to heed Israeli calls to evacuate, saying “take this warning seriously.”

“Please get out of harm’s way now,” Netanyahu said. “Once our operation is finished, you can come back safely to your homes.”

Netanyahu, earlier in the day after a situational assessment at military headquarters in Tel Aviv, said Israel faced “complicated days” as it stepped up attacks against Hezbollah, and he called on Israelis to stay united as the campaign unfolded.

At least 274 people, including 21 children and 31 women, were killed and 1,024 wounded in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon on Monday, the country’s health minister said during a news conference.

The Israeli military said it had struck around 800 targets connected to the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group in southern Lebanon and the area of the Bekaa Valley on Monday.

In response, Hezbollah said it had targeted a military base in northern Israel with dozens of missiles.

The U.S. said Monday it is sending additional troops to the Middle East as the spike in violence between Israel and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon has raised the risk of a greater regional war.

Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder would provide no details on how many additional forces or what they would be tasked to do. The U.S. currently has about 40,000 troops in the region.

The post Israel attack Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, at least 274 killed appeared first on www.enclave.news.