Smoke billows from the positioning of an Israeli airstrike on the Lebanese metropolis of Baalbeck within the Bekaa valley on 23 September 2024. (Nidal Solh / AFP)
- Lebanon mentioned Monday was its deadliest single day because the finish of its civil struggle in 1990, with dozens of girls and kids killed in Israeli strikes.
- Israel mentioned it was dismantling 20 years of Hezbollah build-up, and that it was not but performed.
- Iran accused Israel of looking for a regional struggle and sought assist from the West.
Israel on Monday evening mentioned there was extra to come back after a day of assaults that, by Lebanon’s official toll, was its deadliest in a long time.
Lebanon counted 492 lifeless and greater than 1 600 wounded in Israeli air strikes, with 35 youngsters and 58 girls among the many lifeless. That made it the one deadliest day because the finish of Lebanon’s civil struggle in 1990, mentioned its well being ministry.
Israel’s army added it had struck “buildings, autos, and infrastructure the place rockets, missiles, launchers and unmanned aerial autos posed a menace” throughout greater than 1 300 particular person targets in the middle of 24 hours.
Targets included homes, mentioned Israel, but it surely claimed each home attacked had held weapons meant for use to kill Israeli civilians.
In the meantime, it reported 180 rockets and drones launched into its territory from Lebanon over the identical interval, most of which have been intercepted or landed harmlessly.
FOLLOW DEVELOPMENTS | Lebanon says Israeli strikes kill 492 folks, together with 35 youngsters
Israeli officers celebrated what they described as profitable day and prompt there can be extra missile assaults, whereas insisting there have been no plans for a floor offensive.
“On today, now we have taken out of order tens of hundreds of rockets and exact munition. What Hezbollah has constructed over a interval of 20 years because the second Lebanon Struggle, is in reality being destroyed by the IDF,” Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant mentioned in an announcement.
Israeli military chief Herzi Halevi used related language in an announcement.
“Primarily, we’re concentrating on fight infrastructure that Hezbollah has been constructing for the previous 20 years,” he mentioned.
Israel was now “making ready for the following phases”, added Halevi.
In a video assertion to the Lebanese folks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu advised them Hezbollah had “positioned rockets in your dwelling rooms and missiles in your storage”.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:”I’ve a message for the folks of Lebanon:Israel’s struggle isn’t with you.It is with Hezbollah.For too lengthy, Hezbollah has been utilizing you as human shields. It positioned rockets in your dwelling rooms and missiles in your storage. pic.twitter.com/yfzAquJooE
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) September 23, 2024
He urged civilians to “get out of hurt’s method now”.
Netanyahu urged Israelis to stay united, assured them his authorities was “pre-empting” threats, and mentioned Israel’s “arm remains to be prolonged”.
Iran, Turkey, Egypt warn of regional struggle
Israel has prompt it’s escalating the battle with Hezbollah in the hunt for final de-escalation, with the promise that Israelis will probably be secure within the north of their nation as soon as the Hezbollah menace has been neutralised.
Its neighbours didn’t agree with that technique.
In New York, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian advised journalists Iran would “defend any group that’s defending its rights and itself”, on being requested if his nation would enter the battle between Israel and Hezbollah.
He accused Israel of looking for to embroil Iran in a regional struggle, one thing he insisted Iran sought to keep away from for concern of “irreversible” penalties.
“We wish to stay in peace, we do not need struggle,” he mentioned. “It’s Israel that seeks to create this all-out battle.”
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Egypt condemned “the grave Israeli escalation in Lebanon” and requested for world intervention to forestall a “complete regional struggle”.
“Israel’s assaults on Lebanon mark a brand new section in its efforts to tug the complete area into chaos,” the Turkish international ministry mentioned in an announcement.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani known as for an pressing assembly of Arab states so they might work collectively to cease Israel’s “felony behaviour”.
The UN Interim Pressure in Lebanon warned of “far-reaching and devastating penalties” all through the area ought to there be any additional escalation between Hezbollah and Israel.
Phone warnings ship civilians fleeing
Reuters reported clogged highways within the south of Lebanon, and AFP noticed visitors jams on a freeway from the southern metropolis of Sidon in direction of Beirut.
Lots of these fleeing mentioned that they had obtained pre-recorded phone calls from Israel warning them to evacuate.
In Beirut, which was included amongst Israel’s targets, mother and father scrambled to tug their youngsters out of colleges. Some there additionally mentioned that they had obtained phone warnings from Israel.
Lebanese Data Minister Ziad Makary was in Beirut when he obtained a warning from Israel, he advised the state-run Nationwide Information Company.
He questioned how Israeli had unfold the messages and questioned whether or not “Israel had hacked into Lebanon’s telecoms infrastructure”.
Lebanon’s prime official coordinating the disaster response, Nasser Yassin, mentioned faculties have been being ready to obtain tens of hundreds of refugees.
– With AFP, Reuters, and Al Jazeera