558 people, including 50 children and 94 women, were killed in Lebanon on Monday in an Israeli attack on Hezbollah-held areas. It marks the deadliest day of cross-border warfare since 2006. The Lebanese terror group fired about 200 rockets into northern Israel.
Rocket sirens sounded in Haifa, Afula, Nazareth and other cities in northern Israel. Hezbollah launched a barrage of rockets overnight. The Iran-backed group said the attacks targeted several Israeli military bases and airfields.
The ongoing Israel-Hezbollah conflict has fueled fears of all-out war in the region since the Gaza conflict erupted on October 7 last year, with several countries calling for restraint.
Israel-Hezbollah conflict intensifies:
1. Tens of thousands of people fled southern Lebanon’s towns and villages to the capital, Beirut, as Israeli forces attacked 1,600 Hezbollah targets in nearly a year of cross-border violence.
2. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, 492 people, including dozens of women and children, were killed and 1,645 injured in Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets, the deadliest in Lebanon since the 1975-1990 civil war. It was the country’s deadliest day since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah conflict.
3. On Monday evening, Hezbollah fired about 200 rockets at northern Israel. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said most of the rockets were intercepted by its famous Iron Dome defense system, and no casualties or damage were reported.
4. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his country’s army is changing the security balance on the northern border. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said the army was preparing for the next steps in Lebanon, which he added would be explained later.
5. The IDF released pictures of a long-range rocket mounted on a hydraulic launcher sitting in the attic of a house in Lebanon.
The rocket you see below is a long-range rocket, stored in a hydraulic system aimed at Israeli civilians and ready to launch at a moment’s notice. It is just one of 1,300 targets, including long-range cruise missiles. “The heavy rockets and UAVs that attacked Lebanon today will be used to inflict massive damage in all areas of Israel,” it tweeted.
6. US President Joe Biden said he was briefed on the latest developments in Israel and Lebanon. He emphasized that his administration was working on ways to make the situation worse. Meanwhile, a US State Department spokesman said Washington was ready to defend “allies and partners”, while the Pentagon said it would send more troops to the Middle East.
7.Earlier on Monday, the Israeli military issued a phone call warning people in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon to leave their homes and stay away from any buildings that harbor Hezbollah weapons. Israel’s evacuation order comes after hundreds of Hezbollah pagers and walkie-talkies went off across Lebanon last week.
8. France requested a UN Security Council meeting this week with Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barot informing the UN General Assembly of the matter. Egypt, on the other hand, called for “immediate intervention by international powers and the UN Security Council”, while Turkey said Israel’s attacks would “plunge the entire region into chaos”.
9.Iranian President Masoud Pesheshkian on Monday accused Israel of laying “traps” to lead his country into a wider conflict in the Middle East. On the other hand, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz blamed Hezbollah for using civilians as human shields for the high death toll.
10. Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have prompted Egypt’s national carrier, EgyptAir, to cancel flights to and from Beirut starting Tuesday due to “current events in Lebanon.” The airline said the cancellations will remain in effect until the situation stabilizes. Jordan has suspended all flights to Beirut until further notice.
