crucial moment – ​​The Time

It is now a “real” war between Israel and Hezbollah. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that it carried out an air strike against the Hezbollah cell that fired in the direction of the Afula area during the night, and that it destroyed the launch bases. In addition, the jets hit dozens of Hezbollah targets in several areas of southern Lebanon, with secondary explosions indicating that weapons were stored in the buildings, the IDF says. Yesterday was the darkest day for Lebanon in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah since 2006. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, 356 people were killed and over a thousand were wounded in the Israeli air strikes that have hit southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley in the eastern part of the country since the morning, triggering a massive flight of thousands of Lebanese from the south to Beirut. And in the capital in the afternoon, the IDF declared that it had carried out an attack defined as “targeted”.

According to press sources, the target was a Hezbollah commander, Ali Karaki, the organization’s number 3, who according to some sources was killed and according to others was wounded. Israel declares that its raids are Hezbollah sites – and says it has hit 1,100 – but accuses the Lebanese group supported by Iran of having hidden weapons in Lebanese homes, therefore it has asked for the evacuation of civilians from the south of the country. In the morning, warnings had arrived with phone calls and text messages, then in the early afternoon the IDF warning in which civilians in the Bekaa Valley were given two hours to leave if they were “near buildings or inside houses where missiles and weapons are stored”.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallan, interviewed by La Stampa, illustrated the Jewish state’s goals. “This is the most significant moment since the beginning of the war on the northern front. What we say is what we do: we are dealing a severe blow to Hezbollah and this will send shockwaves throughout the region. Hezbollah will only be remembered for its losses and the chaos it has created for its own citizens, the people of Lebanon,” said government official Netanyahu. “Israel is committed to defending its citizens and its sovereignty and bringing home the communities that have been evacuated over the past year. This is our national duty and moral obligation,” he added.

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