Israel launched a series of airstrikes on Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon early Tuesday, following the deadliest escalation since the 2006 conflict between the two adversaries.
According to the AFP, this comes after the Lebanese health ministry confirmed that Monday’s bombardments killed 492 people, including 35 children and 58 women, while 1,645 others were wounded.
The overnight air raids targeted approximately 1,600 suspected Hezbollah sites, with the Israeli military claiming it had neutralized a “large number” of militants.
In retaliation, Hezbollah fired volleys of missiles at Israeli military bases, shortly after 180 projectiles and an unmanned aerial vehicle crossed into Israeli territory, sending Haifa residents scrambling for safety.
The Israeli Defense Forces reported that more than 50 rockets were fired into northern Israel within a 10-minute window, though most were intercepted by the country’s defense systems.
Meanwhile, thousands of Lebanese residents have fled their homes amidst the violence.
“Everyone is heading to Beirut with their children and belongings — we haven’t seen such panic since 2006,” said Lebanese journalist Nazir Reda, who was rushing to evacuate his family from near the Israeli border.
The current cross-border confrontations between Israel and Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group, have intensified in the wake of an unprecedented Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.
However, Monday’s airstrikes mark the heaviest assault since the 2006 war, which resulted in over 1,200 deaths in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and 160 in Israel, predominantly soldiers.
The IDF has dubbed its military operations in southern Lebanon as “Operation Northern Arrows,” shifting its focus from Gaza to Hezbollah strongholds.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant called the recent raids a “significant peak,” adding, “This is the most difficult week for Hezbollah since its establishment.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also emphasized that Israel is seeking to shift the “security balance” in its northern regions. Hezbollah responded, declaring that they have entered a “new phase” of their confrontation with Israel.
The international community has raised alarms over the escalating conflict. UN Secretary-General António Guterres voiced “grave concern,” while European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned of a “full-fledged war.”
France and Egypt have called for UN intervention, while Iraq has requested an urgent meeting of Arab states at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The Pentagon has responded by deploying additional U.S. military personnel to the Middle East, with a U.S. official stating Washington’s opposition to an Israeli ground invasion targeting Hezbollah and suggesting “concrete ideas” to de-escalate tensions.
In a joint statement, G7 foreign ministers warned that a wider regional war could have “unimaginable consequences.”
