182 killed, 700 wounded in Israeli strikes on Lebanon

Lebanon’s health ministry said Israeli strikes on the south killed 182 people and wounded more than 700
Monday, in the worst toll by far in nearly a year of cross-border clashes between Hezbollah and Israel.

“Israeli enemy strikes on southern towns and villages since this morning” have killed “182 people and wounded 727 others”, the health ministry said, with casualties including “children, women and paramedics”.

This is the single highest daily death toll since fighting between Israel and Hezbollah started in October.

Earlier on Monday, the Israeli army reported carrying out strikes on approximately 300 targets across Lebanon.
Lebanese official media said Monday people were receiving Israeli phone warnings telling them to evacuate, and Information Minister Ziad Makary’s office told AFP it had received one of the messages.

The reports came after the Israeli military told people in Lebanon to move away from Hezbollah targets and vowed to carry out more “extensive and precise” strikes against the Iran-backed group.

After nearly a year of tit-for-tat cross-border fire between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, the strikes since the weekend are the most intense since the outbreak of conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.

Hezbollah, the powerful political and military force in Lebanon, says it is acting in “support” of Hamas.
Ahead of the annual General Assembly, United Nations chief Antonio Guterres warned of Lebanon becoming “another Gaza” and said it was “clear that both sides are not interested in a ceasefire” there.

Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported “more than 80 air strikes in half an hour,” targeting south Lebanon, as well as “intense raids” in the Bekaa Valley to the east, where it said a shepherd was killed.

Hezbollah said one of its fighters was killed but gave no details.

The education minister said schools in the east and south as well as in Beirut’s southern suburbs would close for two days.

Explosions around Baalbek in the east triggered flashes of fire and sent smoke billowing into the sky.