Israeli Aerial Attacks on Lebanon Match Ferocity of Early Gaza Campaign, Monitoring Group Says
Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon have intensified, with multiple reports indicating significant casualties and widespread destruction. Here are the key points:
– **Casualties and Damage**: At least 46 people were killed and 85 injured in Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon within a 24-hour period, according to Lebanese health officials. The total death toll from Israeli strikes in Lebanon has surpassed 1,000, with over 1 million displaced.
– **Targeted Areas**: The airstrikes have targeted residential areas, including central Beirut, where a multi-story apartment building housing a Health Society office affiliated with Hezbollah was hit. The strike in Beirut’s Bashoura district resulted in a sulfur-like smell, leading Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency to accuse Israel of using phosphorous bombs, which are prohibited by international law.
– **Hezbollah Response**: Hezbollah has retaliated with rocket attacks on northern Israel, with reports of hundreds of rockets launched in response to Israeli operations. The group has also claimed to have targeted an Israeli military helicopter with surface-to-air missiles, although the success of this attack is unclear.
– **Israeli Military Operations**: The Israeli military has issued new evacuation orders for 25 towns and villages in southern Lebanon, bringing the total number of communities advised to flee to 77. The operations aim to dismantle Hezbollah’s tunnel infrastructure and reduce its rocket-launching capabilities.
– **International Response**: The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting to address the escalating conflict. Iran has launched nearly 200 missiles at Israel in response to Israeli actions, while President Biden has expressed opposition to any military action against Iran’s nuclear facilities.
