Israel's airstrike on Lebanon targeting Hezbollah camps had killed over 200 and injured more than 1,000.
According to the Israeli military, it is widening an aerial offensive against Hezbollah 'weapon sites' in southern and eastern Lebanon.
IDF Spokesperson RAdm. Daniel Hagari exposing Hezbollah’s way of firing missiles from civilian homes, and how the IDF plans on dismantling it: pic.twitter.com/smkfjv6VDh
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 23, 2024
The military said on Monday that it was expanding its airstrikes to include areas of the Bekaa Valley, along Lebanon's eastern border, after targeting more than 300 sites in southern Lebanon.
Rear Adm Daniel Hagari, Israeli military spokesman, urged the Bekaa Valley residents to immediately evacuate areas where Hezbollah is storing weapons.
Lebanon's health ministry claimed at least 282 people were killed and 1,127 were wounded, including women, children and medics, in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon.
IDF claimed it had struck over 300 targets.
Defending the strikes, Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer said, "Israel's patience is not inexhaustible”. He also highlighted that Israel had taken measures "to get civilians out of harm's way in Lebanon."
"Hezbollah endangers the people of Lebanon. They use civilians as human shields to hide their weaponry and carry out attacks against Israel from within that country. Israel could not be clearer to Lebanese civilians [that] if you live next to properties or homes in which Hezbollah is hiding its rocket launchers and weaponry you should evacuate immediately," said Mencer.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah in a statement said it targeted a military base in northern Israel with dozens of missiles.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday 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.
