Israel’s Latest Attacks Result in 492 Fatalities in Lebanon’s Worst Day of Violence Since 2006

Lebanon’s Ministry of Health reported that airstrikes claimed 492 lives, including 35 children and 58 women, leaving 1,645 injured — a heartbreaking toll for a nation still grappling with last week’s deadly communications attack.

In a pre-recorded announcement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu advised Lebanese civilians to heed warnings and evacuate. “Please take this alert seriously,” Netanyahu said.

“Get out of harm’s path now,” he urged. “Once our operation concludes, you can safely return to your homes.”

Israeli military spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, asserted that their mission involves doing “whatever is necessary” to drive Hezbollah away from Israel’s border.

Hagari claimed that Monday’s extensive airstrikes inflicted significant damage on Hezbollah, but he omitted a timeline for their operation and reaffirmed Israel’s readiness for a ground invasion if required.

“We’re not seeking war; we’re eliminating threats,” he stated firmly. “We will do what is essential to achieve this goal.”

Hagari disclosed that Hezbollah had launched approximately 9,000 rockets and drones into Israel since last October, including 250 on Monday alone.

The military noted that Israeli warplanes struck 1,600 Hezbollah targets on Monday, dismantling cruise missiles, rockets, and attack drones, many hidden in residential zones. “Hezbollah has turned southern Lebanon into a war zone,” Hagari declared at a news briefing.

Israel estimates that Hezbollah possesses around 150,000 rockets and missiles, including precision-guided munitions and long-range projectiles capable of reaching any part of Israel.

Earlier on Monday, Israeli forces executed a targeted strike in Beirut, without divulging specifics. The state-run National News Agency of Lebanon reported that three missiles struck the Beir al-Abed neighborhood in southern Beirut, injuring six people, according to Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV.

Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad mentioned that the earlier strikes hit hospitals, medical facilities, and ambulances. Consequently, the government closed schools and universities and began preparing shelters for the displaced.

Some strikes targeted residential areas in the south and the eastern Bekaa Valley, with one hitting a wooded area near Byblos, located over 80 miles (130 kilometers) from the border north of Beirut.

Israel expanded its airstrikes to include regions of the valley along Lebanon’s eastern border with Syria, an area where Hezbollah has maintained a presence since its founding in 1982 with support from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards following Israel’s invasion and occupation of Lebanon.

Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, Israel’s military chief, indicated that Israel was preparing its “next phases” against Hezbollah, with the proactive airstrikes targeting infrastructure built over the last two decades. He emphasized that their goal is to enable displaced Israelis to return home in northern Israel.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah acknowledged firing dozens of rockets towards Israel, including military bases and the facilities of Rafael, a defense firm in Haifa, targeted for the second consecutive day.

The recent evacuation alerts, the first in nearly a year amid escalating tension, followed an intense firefight on Sunday. Hezbollah retaliated with around 150 rockets, missiles, and drones into northern Israel, avenging strikes that killed a top commander and numerous fighters.

The escalating exchange of strikes has heightened fears of an all-out war even as Israel contends with Hamas in Gaza and tries to negotiate the release of hostages taken during a Hamas raid on October 7.

“It’s in everyone’s interest to resolve this swiftly and diplomatically,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre commented while traveling with President Joe Biden to New York for his final U.N. General Assembly address.

An unnamed State Department official mentioned that the U.S. and other nations were eager to propose an “off-ramp” for both Israel and Hezbollah to de-escalate and avoid a full-blown war. “We have concrete ideas to restore calm, which will be presented to allies and partners this week,” he said.

U.N. peacekeepers near the Israeli border in southern Lebanon halted their patrols and remained in their bases due to the heavy exchange of fire, a U.N. spokesman stated. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres expressed alarm over the rising violence and substantial civilian casualties in Lebanon.

Monday’s death toll dramatically surpassed the Beirut port explosion in 2020, where hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate detonated, killing at least 218 and wounding over 6,000.

The Lebanese Health Ministry directed hospitals in the south and the Bekaa Valley to delay non-urgent surgeries to focus on those injured by “Israel’s escalating aggression on Lebanon.”

Residents received text messages urging them to leave buildings housing Hezbollah weapons. Lebanese media reported one such message reading, “Move away from the village until further notice.”

Lebanon’s Information Minister, Ziad Makary, remarked that his office in Beirut received a recorded message advising people to evacuate the building. He dismissed it as part of a psychological tactic by the enemy.

The constant exchanges of fire have largely emptied communities on both sides of the border. Israel accused Hezbollah of converting entire southern communities into militant bases, with concealed rocket launchers and other infrastructure, possibly leading to an intensive bombing campaign even without ground forces.

A recent Israeli airstrike in a Beirut suburb killed a top Hezbollah commander and several fighters, along with numerous civilians, including women and children.

Last week, thousands of communication devices, primarily used by Hezbollah members, exploded across Lebanon, killing 39 and wounding nearly 3,000, many of them civilians. Lebanon blamed Israel, though Israel did not comment on the responsibility.

Following the devastating October 7 Hamas attack, Hezbollah began shelling Israel to support Palestinian fighters in Gaza, prompting Israeli airstrikes and escalating conflict.

Hezbollah vowed to continue attacks until a Gaza cease-fire is established, though such an outcome seems increasingly elusive as the war approaches its one-year mark.

Hamas militants invaded southern Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking roughly 250 hostages. Around a third of the captives are believed to be dead, with the rest released during a cease-fire in November.

Israel’s offensive has resulted in over 41,000 Palestinian deaths, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and fighters. Women and children comprise a little over half of those killed. Israel claims to have killed over 17,000 militants without providing evidence.___

Lidman reported from Jerusalem and Mroue from Beirut. Additional contributions from AP writers Abby Sewell in Beirut, Matthew Lee and Aamer Madhani in New York, and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations.