Israel launches deadliest bombing of Lebanon in 2 decades

Beirut. Israel intensified its airstrikes against Lebanon yesterday, killing 492 people and injuring more than 1,645, in the deadliest day for Lebanon since the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, health officials reported.

Among the dead were women and children; Thousands of people fled in cars and vans loaded with belongings and full of passengers – sometimes several generations in one vehicle – from the south towards Beirut.

However, the capital also received a new wave of attacks later yesterday, which were believed to have targeted Ali Haraki, commander of Hezbollah’s southern front.

The militia later released a statement stating that its leader survived the offensive. Ali Karaki is well and, thank God, enjoys full health and well-being. He has been moved to a safe placeindicates the message of the group, supported by Iran.

The Lebanese Minister of Health, Firass Abiad, declared in a press conference that the impacts hit hospitals, medical centers and ambulances. The government ordered the closure of schools and universities in most of the country and began preparing shelters for displaced people from the south.

Hit 800 targets

The Israeli airstrike marked the most extensive strikes in nearly a year of cross-border exchange of fire triggered by the war in Gaza. The Israeli army claimed to have hit 800 weapons sites in southern Lebanon, the eastern Bekaa Valley and the northern region near Syria.

An attack hit a forested area of ​​Byblos, in the center of the country, more than 110 kilometers from the border, north of Beirut. In response, Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets toward Israel, after launching more than 100 on Sunday.

The airstrikes have intensified pressure on Hezbollah, which suffered an attack last week unprecedented in history of the group, in the words of its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, when thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by its militants.

Many have attributed the operation to Israel and its Mossad spy agency, but Israeli officials have not confirmed or denied responsibility.

In another major blow, an airstrike in the southern suburb of Beirut last Friday targeting senior Hezbollah commanders killed 45 people, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

Devastation in Beirut suburbs due to Israeli bombings. Photo Ap

Hezbollah reported that 16 members of the group were among the dead, including leader Ibrahim Aqil and another commander, Ahmed Wahbi.

Yesterday afternoon, Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari repeated warnings urging residents to immediately evacuate areas where Hezbollah stores weapons, including in the valley. The warnings left open the possibility that some residents may live in or near structures marked for attacks, unaware that they are at risk.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the people of Lebanon get out of the damage zone in a video message, and expressed: “Israel’s war is not with you. It’s with Hezbollah. For too long, Hezbollah has been using you as human shields.

“He put rockets in his living rooms and missiles in his garages. Those rockets and missiles are aimed directly at our cities, at our citizens.

Once our operation is over, you can safely return to your homes.

The events have brought an already heated region to the brink of full-scale war; There are fears that the attack could be a precursor to an Israeli ground incursion into Lebanon. The threat of open war has grown in recent weeks, after almost a year of clashes sparked by the Israeli conflict against Hamas, another ally of Tehran, in Gaza.

However, an Israeli soldier told the AP agency that his country is focused on air operations and has no plans at the moment for a ground operation. The officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with regulations, said the strikes are aimed at curbing Hezbollah’s ability to launch further attacks on Israel.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health put the death toll from yesterday’s attacks at at least 492, including 21 children and 31 women. Another 1,645 people were injured. The institution asked hospitals in southern Lebanon and the Beeka Valley in the east to postpone surgeries that could be performed later. In a statement, he explained that this request aims to ensure that the facilities are ready to care for people injured by the expansion of Israeli aggression in Lebanon.

Imad Kreidieh, director of the Lebanese telecommunications company Ogero, told Reuters yesterday that more than 80,000 automated calls asking people to evacuate their areas were detected on its network.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stressed that the actions will continue until let us achieve our goal of returning northern residents to their homeswhich sets the stage for a long conflict, since Hezbollah has vowed to continue fighting until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.

With information from Reuters and Ap

© The Independent

Translation: Jorge Anaya

Israel and Hezbollah launched new cross-border attacks a day after Israeli Defense Forces airstrikes against the Iran-backed group killed nearly 500 people in the deadliest day in decades in Lebanon. Infographic Graphic News