Lebanon reports 100 dead and 400 injured in Israeli air strikes

Loud explosions erupted across Lebanon on Monday as the Israeli army carried out the biggest attacks on Lebanon in nearly a year, killing at least 100 people and wounding more than 400, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

Airstrikes between Israel and Hezbollah escalated dramatically last week after the militant group's pagers and walkie-talkies exploded across Lebanon. An Israeli-involved attack killed 37 people and wounded more than 2,700. The attacks stoked fears of open war between Israel and Hezbollah, which has been firing increasingly frequently into Israel in retaliation for Israel's ongoing war in Gaza.

Where did the recent air strikes take place?

On Monday, there were widespread air strikes from Lebanon's southern border to the north of the country, near Syria. A Hezbollah-affiliated television station reported that Israeli warplanes had attacked towns near the eastern Bekaa Valley and northern Hermel. Video footage posted on social media showed thick plumes of smoke rising above buildings.

The death toll quickly rose to at least 100, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. Another 400 people were injured, the ministry said.

The Israeli military said it had attacked more than 300 Hezbollah targets.

UNIFIL, the Lebanese United Nations force, has ordered its personnel to evacuate north of the Litani River, local media reported.

More: Palestinians say Israeli attack kills 22 people in safe house, army says militants struck

Were there warning calls?

As the explosions were heard, people from southern Lebanon to Beirut received warning calls urging them to leave all Hezbollah bases immediately. A Beirut resident who lives near the Saudi embassy told Reuters he received a 30- to 40-second call on his landline.

“They're freaking out, I'm freaking out too, because we thought the area we live in was somehow safe because we're surrounded by ambassadors,” said the person, whose name was not given.

Ziad Makary, Lebanon's information minister, said on X that his ministry had received a call that he described as “psychological warfare” and “intimidation.” The information ministry refused to evacuate and continued its work as usual, Makary wrote.

The head of a Lebanese telecommunications operator told Reuters on Monday that people across the country had received more than 80,000 calls from suspected Israelis demanding evacuation.

What did Israel say?

Israeli Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Israel launched the attacks “on indications that Hezbollah was preparing to fire on Israeli territory.”

The calls to Lebanese residents' phones, Hagari said, were “an advance warning for your own safety and the safety of your family.”

“Hezbollah puts you and your families at risk,” he said.

Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee said the air strikes targeted houses where “Hezbollah was hiding weapons.”

Yoav Gallant, Israel's defense minister, said in a video that Israel was “intensifying” its attacks on Lebanon. “The actions will continue until we achieve our goal of returning the residents of the north safely to their homes,” he said.

Gallant said he had informed U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin about the recent attacks.

More: Israel accused of Iranian plot to assassinate Benjamin Netanyahu, officials say

How did Hezbollah react?

Hezbollah said on Monday it had fired dozens of rockets at Israeli military bases in retaliation.

The Israeli military said it had identified about 35 missiles that entered Israeli territory from Lebanon. Sirens were sounded throughout northern Israel, it said.

What led to the air strikes on Monday?

Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah increased last week after thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies exploded across Lebanon for two days in a row. The attack is believed to have been carried out by Israel. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement.

Last week, airstrikes reached both countries to the extent never seen since Hamas' surprise attack on Israel last October triggered the biggest escalation in the Israel-Hamas conflict in decades.

On Friday, an Israeli airstrike in Beirut killed four senior Hezbollah commanders. On Sunday, Israel launched another barrage of attacks in response to at least 150 Hezbollah rockets, cruise missiles and drones that hit the northern Israeli city of Haifa and the Jezreel Valley. Schools were forced to close and hospitals were forced to transfer patients to secure areas.

In an interview with CBS's “Face the Nation” on Sunday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said that Hezbollah's near-daily attacks on Israel since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas have forced 100,000 Israelis to flee their homes.

“Life on our northern border is destroyed. I don't think any American would have accepted this as some kind of status quo situation in the United States,” he said.

Contributors: Reuters

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Lebanon reports 100 dead and 400 injured in Israeli air strikes

Where did the recent air strikes take place?

Were there warning calls?

What did Israel say?

How did Hezbollah react?

What led to the air strikes on Monday?

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Lebanon reports 100 dead and 400 injured in Israeli air strikes

Where did the recent air strikes take place?

Were there warning calls?

What did Israel say?

How did Hezbollah react?

What led to the air strikes on Monday?

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