By Euronews | Created at 2024-09-23 09:52:47 | Updated at 2024-09-30 09:34:11
6 days ago
An Israeli military spokesperson said the air force struck targets linked to the Hezbollah militant group.
Israel has launched dozens of airstrikes on southern Lebanon as the Israeli military calls on civilians living near Hezbollah targets to evacuate immediately.
Residents of multiple towns in southern Lebanon posted photos on social media showing populated areas being hit by missiles.
Lebanon's National News Agency says at least one person has been killed and several others wounded in the strikes, which hit the heights of the central province of Byblos.
The northeastern Baalbek and Hermel regions were also targeted by the early morning airstrikes, where a shepherd was killed and two members of his family were wounded in the fields of the village of Bodai, the NNA said.
It added that four other people were also wounded in Bodai and were all taken to hospitals in the area.
The news agency also reported that 11 people were wounded in the southern village of Aitaroun, with one person in serious condition.
An Israeli military official said Israel is focused on aerial operations and has no immediate plans for a ground operation.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has warned Lebanese civilians against allowing Hezbollah militants to use their homes to store weapons.
Lebanese media has also reported that residents received text messages urging them to move away from any building where Hezbollah stores arms until further notice.
There is currently no sign of an immediate exodus from the populated areas of southern Lebanon.
The strikes follow Sunday’s heavy exchange of fire, during which Hezbollah launched more than 100 rockets, missiles and drones into northern Israel, with some landing near the city of Haifa.
Hezbollah’s rocket attack came after an Israeli airstrike on a Beirut suburb on Friday killed a top Hezbollah military commander and more than a dozen Hezbollah members, along with dozens of civilians, including women and children.
Last week, thousands of handheld communications devices, used mainly by Hezbollah members, exploded in different parts of Lebanon, killing 39 people and wounding nearly 3,000.
Lebanon blamed the attacks on Israel, but Israel did not confirm or deny its responsibility.
