As the fear of war reaches its peak with the ongoing conflict between Israel and Lebanon's military outfit Hezbollah, the deadliest airstrike since 2006 by Israel on Monday killed at least 558 people in Lebaon including several women and children, Lebanese authorities said.
The death toll this time far exceeded that of the 2020 Beirut port explosion when hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse detonated, killing at least 218 people and wounding more than 6,000.
The tension initiated with Israel's remote attacks on pagers and walkie-talkies used by the Hezbollah members in Lebanon. The Lebanese government blamed Israel for what appeared to be a sophisticated remote attack that further intensified the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
In line with the fear of war, the Israeli defence minister earlier declared the start of a "new phase" of war as they initiated mobilising more troops to its border with Lebanon as a precautionary measure.
War is not with you: Netanyahu's message for Lebanon
Following the dealdiest attack on Lebanon, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a message for Lebanon 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. It placed rockets in your living rooms and missiles in your garage. Those rockets and missiles are aimed directly at our cities, directly at our citizens. To defend our people against Hezbollah strikes, we must take out those weapons."
"Don't let Hezbollah endanger your lives and the lives of your loved ones. Don't let Hezbollah endanger Lebanon. Please, get out of harm's way now. Once our operation is finished, you can come back safely to your homes," said Netanyahu.
Israel-Hezbollah war: Top developments
558 people killed in Israeli airstrikes: Lebanon's health ministry said the strikes killed 558 people, including 35 children and 58 women, and wounded 1,645 people.
Israeli military's warning: As per reports, the Israeli army warned residents in southern and eastern Lebanon to evacuate ahead of its widening air campaign against Hezbollah following which, thousands of Lebanese fled the south.
Israeli army aims to remove Hezbollah from border: Israel's military spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said the army will do “whatever is necessary” to push Hezbollah from Lebanon's border with Israel. “We are not looking for wars. We are looking to take down the threats,” he said. “We will do whatever is necessary to do to achieve this mission. We hope to do it as shortly as we can.”
Hagari claimed Monday's widespread airstrikes had inflicted heavy damage on Hezbollah. But he would not give a timeline for the ongoing operation and said Israel was prepared to launch a ground invasion of Lebanon if needed.
According to Hagari, Hezbollah has launched some 9,000 rockets and drones into Israel since last October, including 250 on Monday alone. Israel also estimates Hezbollah has some 150,000 rockets and missiles, including guided missiles and long-range projectiles capable of striking anywhere in Israel.
