Israeli strikes kill 492 in Lebanon, Hezbollah fires 200 rockets in retaliation

Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets killed 492 people in Lebanon on Monday, marking the deadliest day in cross-border warfare since 2006.

As the Lebanese terrorist group fired nearly 200 rockets into northern Israel in retaliation for the strikes by the Jewish nation. Rocket sirens went off in Haifa, Afula, Nazareth and other cities in northern Israel as Hezbollah launched a barrage of rockets overnight, with the Iran-backed group saying the attacks targeted several Israeli military bases and airfields.

The ongoing Israel-Hezbollah conflict has triggered fears of an all-out war in the region since the Gaza conflict erupted on October 7 last year as several countries called for restraint.

Tens of thousands of people fled from towns and villages in southern Lebanon towards the capital, Beirut, as the Israeli military struck 1,600 Hezbollah targets in the country in the Jewish nation’s most intense barrage in nearly a year of cross-border violence.

According to the Lebanese health ministry, 492 people, including dozens of women and children, died and 1,645 others were injured as Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets left Lebanon with the highest daily death toll since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war. The toll also marked the deadliest day for the country since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah conflict.

Hezbollah on Monday evening launched nearly 200 rockets towards northern Israel in a retaliatory attack over the Jewish nation’s deadly strikes on Israel. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said most of the rockets were intercepted by its renowned Iron Dome defence system and that no casualties or damages were reported.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country’s military was changing the “security balance” along its northern border. IDF chief of staff, Lt Gen Herzi Halevi, said the military was preparing for the “next phases” in Lebanon, adding he would elaborate on the same later.

The IDF released pictures of a long-range rocket mounted on a hydraulic launcher sitting in the attic of a home in Lebanon.

“The rocket that you see below is a long-range rocket, stored on a hydraulic system directed toward Israeli civilians and ready to be launched at a moment’s notice. This is just one of the 1,300 targets including long-range cruise missiles, heavy-weight rockets and UAVs that were struck today in Lebanon and were going to be used to cause major damage in all areas of Israel,” it tweeted.

US President Joe Biden said he was briefed on the latest developments in Israel and Lebanon. He stressed that his administration was working on ways to de-escalate the situation. Meanwhile, a US State Department spokesperson said Washington was ready to defend its “allies and partners”, while the Pentagon said more troops would be sent to the Middle East.

Earlier on Monday, the Israeli military had warned people in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon via a phone call to leave their homes and distance themselves from any buildings having Hezbollah weapons. Israel’s evacuation order came after hundreds of Hezbollah’s pagers and walkie-talkies exploded across Lebanon last week.

France has requested a UN Security Council meeting this week with Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot informing the UN General Assembly on the same. On the other hand, Egypt called on “international powers and the UN Security Council to intervene immediately”, while Turkey said Israel’s strikes could “drag the entire region into chaos”.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday accused Israel of laying “traps” to lead his country into a wider conflict in the Middle East. On the other hand, Israel’s Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, blamed Hezbollah for using civilians as human shields for the high death toll.

The tensions between Israel and Hezbollah prompted Egypt’s national carrier EgyptAir to cancel its flights to and from Beirut beginning Tuesday due to “current events unfolding in Lebanon”. The airline said the cancellations would remain in effect until the situation stabilised. Jordan also suspended all flights to Beirut until further notice.