International Massive Israeli attacks in Lebanon - More than 350 dead

In a further massive escalation in the conflict with the Shia militia Hezbollah, Israel has attacked hundreds of targets in Lebanon. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, 356 people were killed, including 24 children. More than 1,246 people were injured.

This is the highest number of casualties in southern Lebanon since the war-like clashes between Israel and the pro-Iranian Hezbollah began almost a year ago. Israel's military also carried out an airstrike in the Lebanese capital Beirut, which according to media reports targeted a senior Hezbollah commander.

According to the Israeli military, it attacked more than 1,300 targets in Lebanon - and the attacks were still continuing on Monday evening. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a message directly to the Lebanese people: "Israel's war is not with you, but with Hezbollah," he said. "Hezbollah has used you as human shields for too long." In order to defend Israel against Hezbollah attacks, the militia's weapons must be rendered harmless, Netanyahu argued.

According to the Israeli military, Hezbollah fired more than 150 missiles at civilian locations in Israel. Some of them were intercepted by the missile defense system, others hit open areas. There were initially no reports of casualties or damage to property.

Following the massive airstrikes in Lebanon, the Israeli government decided to declare a nationwide state of emergency in anticipation of retaliatory strikes. According to media reports, the decision means, among other things, that the size of gatherings can be restricted.

Israel claims to have destroyed "tens of thousands of rockets" from the enemy during attacks

According to Defense Minister Joav Galant, "tens of thousands of rockets" from Hezbollah that "threatened Israel's citizens" were destroyed in the attacks. Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi explained that the military was attacking the infrastructure built up by Hezbollah over the past 20 years for its fight. "This is very significant", he emphasized. Israel is attacking targets and preparing "the next phases" of the battle, about which he said he would say more shortly.

It remained unclear which next steps he was referring to. So far, Israel has been attacking Lebanon massively from the air and with artillery across the border, but there are no Israeli troops in Lebanon.

On October 7, 2023, terrorists from Hamas, which is allied with Hezbollah, and other extremist groups killed more than 1,200 people in Israel and took around 250 others hostage in the Gaza Strip. This was the trigger for the Gaza war. Since then, Hezbollah has been attacking Israel with rockets on an almost daily basis. Israel wants to push Hezbollah out of the border area again in order to guarantee the safety of its citizens in the north and to enable the return of displaced persons.

Lebanon accuses Israel of a "war of annihilation"

The Lebanese government accused Israel of "a war of annihilation in every sense of the word" in view of the attacks. "We as a government are working to stop this new war by Israel and prevent a descent into the unknown," said Acting Prime Minister Najib Mikati.

According to Israel's army, it attacked a target in Beirut with a "precise" strike. Rescuers rushed to an area in the south of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold. Ibrahim Akil, a high-ranking military commander of the militia, had already been killed there on Friday. According to unconfirmed Israeli media reports, the target of the new attack was Hezbollah commander Ali Karaki, who was responsible for the southern front and was supposed to replace Akil.

If Karaki's death is confirmed, this would be a "massive blow" to Hezbollah, wrote expert Maha Yahya from the Carnegie think tank on Platform X. This would leave just one more commander on Israel's "hit list" alongside Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Air strikes also in the north-eastern Bekaa Valley

Following the intensive bombardments in the south by Israel's air force, positions in the Bekaa Plain in north-eastern Lebanon were also attacked in the afternoon, according to security sources. Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets at positions in northern Israel. Among other things, the militia targeted defense industry facilities near the port city of Haifa as well as military bases. Long-range rockets were also used.

Israel warns civilian population in Lebanon

There had previously been reports of warnings to the civilian population in Lebanon via so-called robot calls with pre-recorded messages or text messages. Until further notice, people should stay away from villages in whose buildings Hezbollah weapons are stored. The Lebanese Ministry of Information described the action as "psychological warfare" by Israel.

Israel's army had already expanded its attacks in the neighboring country in recent days. There were also dozens of dead and injured. The army has so far evaded questions as to whether a ground offensive by the military is also possible. In the event of an invasion by Israeli troops in Lebanon, an even greater involvement of allied Hezbollah militias in the region or Iran could not be ruled out.

Panic in the south of Lebanon

Around 150,000 people on both sides of the border have been forced to leave their homes. The war-like conflict has intensified once again following the explosion of thousands of communication devices in Lebanon and an Israeli attack on the Hezbollah leadership near Beirut last week, which left more than 50 people dead, including civilians.

Residents were in panic following the latest airstrikes in the south of Lebanon. Residents told the German Press Agency that many people were fleeing from the suburbs of the city of Tyros in the south. Some rushed to the center of the coastal city and to the UN observer mission Unifil compound there. The streets were filled with cars of people who were apparently heading towards Beirut or other places in the north of the country. There were traffic jams on the roads.

There was "panic and chaos", eyewitnesses reported. In the coastal town of Sidon, which lies roughly halfway between Tyre and Beirut, traffic came to a complete standstill at times. Drivers shared videos on social media showing masses of Lebanese driving north.

Hezbollah more heavily armed today than in the war 20 years ago

Israel and Hezbollah have already waged war against each other in 1982 and 2006. The Iranian-backed militia is much more heavily armed today than during the war almost 20 years ago. It claims to be acting in solidarity with the Islamist Hamas, which is fighting against Israel in the Gaza Strip. Hezbollah and Hamas are supported by Iran.

Israel has recently reduced the number of its attacks in the Gaza Strip and is increasingly concentrating on Hezbollah. Israel wants the militia to withdraw behind the Litani River, 30 kilometers from the border - as stipulated by UN Resolution 1701, which marked the end of the war in 2006. According to the resolution, Hezbollah is not allowed to be present along the border. However, neither the UN observer mission nor the Lebanese army are enforcing this. Israel has declared the return of its residents to their homes in the north to be one of its goals in the Gaza war, which began with the Hamas terror attack on October 7 last year.

SDA