Lebanon’s health ministry has said that Israeli strikes have killed more than 270 Lebanese, with another 1,000 wounded today (Monday), in the deadliest barrage in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict in the past 8 years.
The death toll has now reached 274 people including 21 children and 31 women. the health ministry said, as Israel continued to bombard the neighbouring county, saying it was aiming for Hezbollah targets.
The Israeli military said it has told residents in southern and eastern Lebanon to evacuate their homes as it plans to widen an aerial bombardment – leading to massive traffic jams on the main highway out of the southern city of Sidon as tens of thousands of people fled.
Southern Lebanon. pic.twitter.com/lPcj2LmEwD
— Hamdah Salhut (@hamdahsalhut) September 23, 2024
Lebanon’s health ministry says it has asked all hospitals in the south and east of the country to “stop all non-essential surgery in order to make space to treat the wounded due to the expanding Israeli aggression”. The government condemned “Israel’s expanding aggression on Lebanon”.
Health minister Firas Abiad accused Israeli airstrikes of targeting “hospitals, medical centers and ambulances”, saying at least two ambulances were damaged and destroyed, and that one member of Lebanon’s civil defence was injured by Israeli airstrikes today.
The United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon (Unifil) issued a statement on Monday afternoon expressing “grave concern for the safety of civilians in southern Lebanon” amidst the most intense Israeli bombing campaign since last October. They urged the need for de-escalation from both Hezbollah and Israel.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, says the missions being carried out were aimed at destroying what he claimed were thousands of missiles and rockets aimed at Israeli cities.
The Lebanese government has ordered schools and universities to close tomorrow as the country begins to shelter those fleeing from the south.
Hezbollah said in a statement that it fired dozens of rockets toward Israel, and targeted the facilities of the Rafael defence firm in Haifa – with the Times of Israel saying three Israelis were wounded in the attack.
There are fears of an all-out war between Israeli forces and Hezbollah, even as the Israel-Gaza conflict continues.
An Israeli airstrike on a Beirut suburb on Friday killed a top Hezbollah military commander and more than a dozen fighters, Tel Aviv said.
The conflict between Lebanon and Israel escalated after 12 people – including two children, a boy and a girl – were killed after paging devices that had been distributed to Hezbollah members exploded Lebanon.
Another 27 people were killed and almost 3,000 wounded in total when other communications devices also exploded.