At least 492 individuals have been slain in severe and extensive Israeli assaults aimed at Hezbollah in Lebanon, according to the nation’s health agency, marking the deadliest day of hostilities there in nearly two decades. Thousands of households have also departed from their residences as the Israeli forces reported striking 1,300 Hezbollah locations in an effort to dismantle the infrastructure that the militia had amassed since the 2006 conflict. Meanwhile, Hezbollah fired over 200 projectiles into northern Israel, as reported by the military. Paramedics indicated that two individuals suffered injuries from shrapnel. Global powers have been imploring restraint as both factions seem to be edging closer to full-scale war.
Lebanon’s health department noted that 35 children and 58 women are among the deceased, while 1,645 others have been injured. It did not specify how many of the casualties were civilians or fighters. UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed his concern regarding the escalating crisis and stated he hoped Lebanon would not turn into “another Gaza.” EU foreign affairs head Josep Borrell remarked that the “escalation is exceedingly precarious and alarming” ahead of a convening of world leaders at the UN in New York, indicating “we are on the brink of a full-scale conflict.” President Joe Biden stated that the US was “working to de-escalate in a manner that permits people to return home securely,” while the Pentagon disclosed it was deploying “a limited number” of additional troops to the Middle East “out of an abundance of caution.” Nearly a year of border skirmishes between Israel and Hezbollah sparked by the Gaza war has resulted in hundreds of fatalities, predominantly Hezbollah fighters, and displaced tens of thousands on both sides of the border. Hezbollah has declared it is acting in support of Hamas and will not relent until a ceasefire is achieved in Gaza. Both organizations are endorsed by Iran and classified as terrorist entities by Israel, the UK, and other nations. The Pentagon affirmed it was dispatching “a limited number” of additional US troops to the Middle East amid the intensifying crisis.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated in a report on Monday evening that its aircraft had executed strikes on about 1,300 Hezbollah “terror targets” in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, where it alleged rockets, missiles, launchers, and drones were concealed. “At the core, our aim is to focus on the defense structure that Hezbollah has been building over the last twenty years. This aspect is extremely important,” the IDF’s Chief of Staff, Lt Gen Herzi Halevi, informed commanders in Tel Aviv. “Ultimately, everything is centered on creating the circumstances for the northern residents to return home.” IDF spokesperson Rear Adm Daniel Hagari disclosed that footage from southern Lebanon illustrated “significant secondary explosions caused by Hezbollah’s munitions that were being stored within the structures.” “It is probable that some of the casualties stem from these secondary explosions,” he added. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged the Lebanese populace to “evacuate from harm’s way immediately.” “For too long, Hezbollah has exploited you as human shields. It has situated rockets in your living rooms and missiles in your garages,” he asserted. “In order to shield our citizens from Hezbollah attacks, we need to eradicate these weapons.” A senior Israeli military figure stated that the IDF was “currently concentrating solely on Israel’s air operations,” when queried by reporters about the potential for an imminent ground invasion of southern Lebanon to establish a buffer zone. The official stated Israel had three objectives – to diminish Hezbollah’s capability to launch rockets and missiles across the Lebanon-Israel border, to drive its fighters back from the frontier, and to obliterate the infrastructure developed by Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force that could be employed to assault Israeli communities. Hezbollah refrained from commenting on the Israeli assertions that it had concealed weapons in residences, and its media office reported the demise of only one fighter by Monday evening.
