Israel had earlier urged residents of southern Lebanon to evacuate homes and other buildings where Hezbollah stores weapons.
Lebanese health officials said on Sept. 23 that 356 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes targeting southern Lebanon, as the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced that it had hit 1,300 Hezbollah targets.
1,246 people were wounded in the strikes and thousands have fled, with the main highway out of the southern port city of Sidon jammed with cars heading toward Beirut.
At a Sept. 23 cabinet meeting, Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, called the barrage a “genocide in every sense of the word.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that his nation faces “complicated days” ahead and called for citizens to stay united as the campaign continues.
“I promised that we would change the security balance, the balance of power in the north—that is exactly what we are doing,” he said in a message following a situational assessment at military headquarters in Tel Aviv.
Earlier, the IDF urged residents of southern Lebanon, which borders northern Israel, to evacuate homes and other buildings where Hezbollah stores weapons, as Israel said it was set to carry out “extensive strikes” against the terrorist group.
This follows a heavy exchange of fire on Sept. 22.
Hezbollah attacked northern Israel with about 150 rockets, missiles, and drones in response to strikes that killed a top commander and dozens of fighters.
The escalating exchanges have increased fears of all-out war, as Israel continues its fight against the Hamas terrorist group in the Gaza Strip and attempts to rescue the remaining hostages taken in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.
Hezbollah has vowed to continue its strikes in solidarity with Hamas, a fellow Iran-backed group, while Israel says it is determined to return calm to the border.
An Israeli military official said the nation is focused on aerial operations and has no immediate plans for a ground operation.
The official, speaking anonymously in keeping with regulations, said the strikes are aimed at curbing Hezbollah’s ability to launch more strikes into Israel.
By Guy Birchall
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