Israel-Lebanon latest: Israeli military ‘ready’ to invade as strikes on Hezbollah kill 492 in one day
Israel says it’s ‘not looking for wars’ but army is ‘in full readiness’ to push Hezbollah back from border
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The death toll from Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon has risen to 492 people, including 35 children and 58 women, with at least 1,645 people wounded.
Thousands of Lebanese fled the south, and the main highway out of the southern port city of Sidon was jammed with cars heading toward Beirut. It was the biggest exodus in the region, and the highest single day death toll, since a 2006 war.
It came as Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the country’s forces were fully prepared for a ground invasion of Lebanon if necessary.
While stating that Israel is “not looking for wars”, he said the Israeli army was “in full readiness, and we will do whatever is necessary” to push Hezbollah back from the border.
Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a video message to civilians urging them to heed Israeli military warnings and evacuate their homes.
He said: “I have a message for the people of Lebanon: Israel’s war is not with you. It’s with Hezbollah. For too long, Hezbollah has been using you as human shields.
“I urge you – take this warning seriously.”
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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres ‘alarmed’ by the escalating violence in Lebanon
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for “de-escalation” of airstrikes across the border with Lebanon urging a diplomatic solution as the threat of wider war looms.
“He expresses great concern for the safety of civilians, both in southern Lebanon and in northern Israel as well as the UN staff there in those areas,” Guterres’ spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters.
“The secretary-general notes the ongoing efforts by the UN special coordinator for Lebanon and the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon to reduce tensions, and he reiterates the urgent need for de-escalation – that all efforts should be devoted to a diplomatic solution.”
It came as at least 274 people have been killed and more than 1,024 wounded, including 39 women and 21 children, in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon.
Full report: Israeli airstrikes kill more than 270 and injure 1,000, Lebanon says – in deadliest day for country since 2006
The Independent’s International Editor Chris Stevenson reports:
Israeli airstrikes against Hezbollah kill 270 and injure 1,000, Lebanon says
The israeli military says it has hit more than 800 targets linked to Hezbollah weapons as conflict escalates
Iran accuses Israel of looking for wider war in Middle East
Iran’s president has accused Israel of seeking a wider war in the Middle East and laying “traps” to lead his country into a wider conflict.
Masoud Pezeshkian told about two dozen media representatives that Iran does not want to see the current war in Gaza and airstrikes across the Israeli-Lebanon border expanded.
He said while Israel insists it does not want a wider war, it is taking actions that show otherwise.
Mr Pezeshkian pointed to the deadly explosions of pagers, walkie-talkies and other electronic devices in Lebanon last week, which he blamed on Israel, as well as the assassination of Hamas’ political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on the eve of his inauguration.
“They are dragging us to a point where we do not wish to go,” the Iranian leader said of Israel.
“There is no winner in warfare. We are only fooling ourselves if we believe that.”
Asked when Iran will respond to the killing of Haniyeh, he replied: “We will give our answer in an appropriate time and place.”
Israeli military says it has struck around 800 Hezbollah targets in Southern Lebanon and Bekaa
The Israeli military has said it had struck around 800 targets connected to the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group in southern Lebanon and the area of the Bekaa valley.
“Among the targets struck were buildings where Hezbollah hid rockets, missiles, launchers, UAVs and additional terrorist infrastructure,” the military said in a statement.
Israeli military says warning sirens sound in northern West Bank
Warning sirens have sounded in the northern part of the occupied West Bank as Hezbollah rocket fire extended further south from the border areas in northern Israel, which have been most heavily targeted in the latest exchange of fire.
Alarms were also sounded in areas across northern Israel, the military said.
US concerned by Israel shuttering Al Jazeera office in Ramallah, State Department says
The United States is concerned by the Israeli military’s raid and shutdown of media network Al Jazeera’s office in the West Bank city of Ramallah, a State Department spokesperson has said.
“This action is inconsistent with US support for freedom of the press in the West Bank and all over the world,” the spokesperson said.
The US is still gathering information about the Israeli military operation on Sunday, they added.
Watch the video below for context:
Breaking: Israeli military says it has conducted strike on Lebanon capital Beirut
The Israeli military has said it had conducted a targeted strike in Beirut. It gave no details on the target.
A security source told news agency Reuters an Israeli strike hit Beirut’s southern suburbs on Monday evening, but said it was not immediately clear what type of strike was used or what was hit.
The Lebanese minister coordinating the crisis response, Nasser Yassin, said tens of thousands of people are fleeing southern Lebanon “due to Israeli atrocities”.
The security source also told the news agency the strike targeted senior Hezbollah leader Ali Karaki, the head of the southern front. He condition is currently unknown
Watch: Dashcam footage captures moment Hezbollah rocket hit city in northern Israel
Netanyahu says Israel is changing security balance on northern border
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel faced “complicated days” as it stepped up strikes against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and he called on Israelis to stay united as the campaign unfolded.
“I promised that we would change the security balance, the balance of power in the north - that is exactly what we are doing,” he said in a message issued following a situational assessment at military headquarters in Tel Aviv.
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