Lebanon experiences deadliest day of conflict since 2006: Israeli attacks kill over 356 people

MARJAYOUN, Lebanon (AP) — Israeli strikes killed more than 350 Lebanese, including more than 60 women and children, on Monday, Lebanese authorities said, the deadliest attack since the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, while the Israeli military urged residents in southern and eastern Lebanon to evacuate ahead of an escalation of its air offensive against Hezbollah.

Thousands of Lebanese fled the south, and the main road out of the southern port city of Sidon was clogged with cars heading toward Beirut, the largest exodus since 2006.

According to Lebanon's Health Ministry, the attacks killed 356 people, including 24 children and 42 women, and injured 1,246 – a horrifying death toll in one day for a country still reeling from the aftermath of last week's deadly attack on communications equipment.

The death toll far exceeded that of the devastating explosion at the port of Beirut in 2020, when hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse detonated, killing at least 218 people and injuring more than 6,000.

In a recorded message, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Lebanese civilians to heed Israeli calls for evacuation, saying: “Take this warning seriously.”

Smoke rises from Israeli airstrikes on villages in the Nabatiyeh district, seen from the southern town of Marjayoun, Lebanon, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Hussein Malla

“Please get out of the danger zone now,” Netanyahu said. “As soon as our operation is over, you can safely return to your homes.”

The Israeli military said on Monday evening that it had carried out a targeted attack in Beirut. No further details were given.

The Lebanese state news agency reported that the Beir al-Abed neighborhood in southern Beirut was hit by three rockets. Hezbollah's Al-Manar television station reported that six people were injured. The area was cordoned off and journalists were denied access.

Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad told a press conference in Beirut that the earlier attacks had hit hospitals, medical centers and ambulances. The government ordered the closure of schools and universities in much of the country and began preparing shelters for those displaced from the south.

The Israeli military said it hit around 800 targets, which were Hezbollah weapons depots. Some attacks hit residential areas in the south and eastern Bekaa Valley. One hit a forest area in central Lebanon, more than 130 kilometers from the border north of Beirut.

The military said it would expand airstrikes to areas of the valley along Lebanon's eastern border with Syria. Hezbollah has long had a strong presence there. The group was founded in 1982 with the help of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari reiterated the warnings and urged residents to immediately evacuate areas where Hezbollah stores weapons, including the valley. The warnings left open the possibility that some residents may be living in or near targeted buildings without knowing they are at risk.

Israeli military chief Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said Israel was preparing the “next phase” of its operations against Hezbollah. The airstrikes were “proactive” and targeted Hezbollah's infrastructure, which it had built up over the past 20 years.

Halevi said more details would be announced in the near future and the goal is to enable displaced Israelis to return to their homes in northern Israel.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah said in a statement that it had fired dozens of rockets at Israel, including military bases, and attacked the facilities of Haifa-based defense company Rafael for the second consecutive day.

While Israel was carrying out the attacks, Israeli authorities reported a series of air raid sirens in northern Israel warning of rocket fire from Lebanon.

The evacuation warnings were the first of their kind in a nearly year-long, escalating conflict and came after a particularly fierce exchange of fire on Sunday. Hezbollah fired around 150 rockets, missiles and drones into northern Israel in retaliation for attacks that killed a senior commander and dozens of fighters.

The increasing attacks and counterattacks have raised fears of an all-out war as Israel battles Hamas in Gaza and tries to negotiate the release of dozens of hostages captured in the October 7 Hamas attack. Hezbollah has said it will continue its attacks in solidarity with Hamas, a militant group also backed by Iran.

Associated Press journalists in southern Lebanon reported heavy air strikes on Monday morning in numerous areas, including some far from the border.

The Lebanese state news agency said the attacks hit a forest area in the central province of Byblos for the first time since the fighting began.

Israel also bombed targets in the northeastern regions of Baalbek and Hermel, killing a shepherd and wounding two relatives, the news agency reported. A total of 30 people were injured.

Lebanon's Health Ministry put the death toll at 274. It called on hospitals in southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley to postpone non-urgent surgeries to keep hospitals ready to treat people injured by “Israel's increasing aggression against Lebanon.”

An Israeli military official said Israel was focusing on air operations and had no immediate plans for a ground operation. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with regulations, said the strikes were aimed at limiting Hezbollah's ability to launch further attacks on Israel.

Residents received text messages saying: “If you are in a building where Hezbollah weapons are stored, leave the village until further notice,” Lebanese media reported.

Lebanese Information Minister Ziad Makary said in a statement that his office in Beirut received a recorded message asking people to leave the building.

“This is part of the psychological war being waged by the enemy,” Makary said, urging people “not to give the matter more attention than it deserves.”

Due to the almost daily exchanges of fire, the communities on both sides of the border have largely emptied.

Israel accuses Hezbollah of turning entire communities in the south into militant bases with hidden rocket launchers and other infrastructure, which could prompt the Israeli military to launch a particularly heavy bombing campaign even if ground troops do not intervene.

An Israeli airstrike on a Beirut suburb on Friday killed a senior Hezbollah military commander and more than a dozen fighters, as well as dozens of civilians, including women and children.

Last week, thousands of communications devices used mainly by Hezbollah members exploded in various parts of Lebanon, killing 39 people and injuring nearly 3,000, including many civilians. Lebanon blamed Israel for the attacks, but Israel did not confirm or deny responsibility.

A day after the October 7 attack, Hezbollah began shelling Israel, claiming it was an attempt to get Israeli forces to support Palestinian fighters in the Gaza Strip. Israel responded with air strikes, and the conflict steadily escalated.

Israel has promised to push Hezbollah back from the border so its citizens can return home. Hezbollah has said it will continue its attacks until there is a ceasefire in Gaza, but that seems increasingly unlikely as the anniversary of the war approaches.

On October 7, Hamas-led militants entered southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting about 250. About 100 prisoners remain in Gaza, a third of whom are believed dead, after most of the rest were released during a week-long ceasefire in November.

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, over 41,000 Palestinians were killed in the Israeli offensive. No distinction is made between civilians and fighters. Just over half of those killed were women and children. Israel claims to have killed over 17,000 militants, but has not provided any evidence.

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Lidman reported from Jerusalem and Mroue from Beirut. Associated Press writer Abby Sewell in Beirut contributed to this report.

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