Israel’s army says an “intensive” wave of airstrikes has hit greater than 300 Hezbollah targets Monday as residents of southern Lebanon reportedly are receiving textual content messages warning them to remain away from buildings the place the terrorist group is storing weapons.
The strikes are in response to Hezbollah launching round 150 rockets, missiles and drones into northern Israel on Sunday following Israeli army operations that resulted within the deaths of a number of prime Hezbollah commanders.
“In case you are in a constructing housing weapons for Hezbollah, transfer away from the village till additional discover,” reads a textual content message in Arabic that residents of Lebanon have been receiving, in response to native media reviews cited by the Related Press.
The Lebanese Well being Ministry is asking hospitals in southern Lebanon and the japanese Bekaa valley to postpone surgical procedures that could possibly be carried out later. The ministry stated in an announcement that its request aimed to maintain hospitals able to take care of individuals wounded by “Israel’s increasing aggression on Lebanon.”
HEZBOLLAH LAUNCHES ROCKETS AT ISRAEL: ‘OPEN-ENDED BATTLE’
Lebanon’s state-run Nationwide Information Company stated Monday’s strikes from Israel hit a forested space within the central province of Byblos, about 81 miles north of the Israeli-Lebanese border, for the primary time because the exchanges between the 2 sides started in October, in response to the AP. No accidents have been reported there.
Israel additionally bombed targets within the northeastern Baalbek and Hermel areas, the place a shepherd was killed and two relations have been wounded, the Nationwide Information Company stated. It added {that a} complete of 30 individuals have been wounded within the strikes.
The Israel Protection Forces stated Monday that “[s]o far over 300 Hezbollah targets have been struck immediately,” and that it’s “at the moment conducting intensive strikes on terror targets belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist group in Lebanon.”
“I repeat and reiterate: Israel doesn’t search battle. However we’ve the proper and the obligation to defend our individuals,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog wrote on X, sharing a video he claims “reveals how Hezbollah shops and launches missiles in civilian areas and houses.”
UN CHIEF DEFENDS UNRWA, SAYS ONLY ‘A FEW ELEMENTS’ PARTICIPATED IN OCT. 7 ATTACK
“1000’s and hundreds of long-range rockets are saved in homes, dwelling rooms, bedrooms, and kitchens, after which launched with the only real intention of killing our individuals. Would you settle for this in your or your neighbor’s residence?” Herzog requested. “What nation would settle for its residents dwelling underneath such a risk from its neighbors?”
The newest escalation between Israeli forces and Hezbollah comes as Lebanon continues to be reeling from a sequence of explosions that hit pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to Hezbollah members on Tuesday and Wednesday final week. The explosions killed at the very least 37 individuals and wounded about 3,000, in response to native officers. The assaults have been extensively blamed on Israel, which has not confirmed or denied duty.
Hezbollah’s deputy chief, Naim Kassem, stated Sunday’s rocket assault in opposition to Israel was only the start of what’s now an “open-ended battle.”
Hezbollah first started firing into Israel a day after the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist assault, in what it stated was an try to pin down Israeli forces to assist Hamas in Gaza.
Fox Information’ Yael Rotem-Kuriel, Bradford Betz and the Related Press contributed to this report.