Israel conducts air strikes in southern Lebanon

Israeli warplanes strike 1300 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon. The country's Ministry of Health reports 356 deaths as a result of the strikes, and another 1240 people were injured.

This was reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to AP.

Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that the strikes destroyed Hezbollah cruise missiles, missiles with heavy explosives, long- and short-range missiles, and attack drones. According to the representative, a significant number of these munitions were hidden in residential areas. He showed photos with what he believed to be relevant evidence.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health reported that the number of victims of Israeli strikes in Lebanon on Monday rose to 356, including 24 children and 42 women. More than 1240 people were injured.

The agency notes that the death toll exceeded the number of victims of the devastating explosion in the port of Beirut in 2020, when hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate exploded, killing at least 218 people and injuring more than 6,000.

Thousands of people are fleeing southern Lebanon.

Speaking to foreign journalists, Rear Admiral Hagari did not name the timing of the current operation and said that Israel is ready to launch a ground invasion of Lebanon if necessary.

“We are not looking for war. We seek to eliminate threats. We will do whatever is necessary to achieve this mission. We hope to do it as soon as possible,” he said.

The IDF spokesman said Israel will fight until Hezbollah withdraws its forces away from the border and tens of thousands of displaced Israelis can return to their homes near Lebanon.

Hagari accused Hezbollah of using civilians as human shields by hiding weapons in Lebanese villages and showed videos that he said showed secondary explosions allegedly caused by Hezbollah weapons hidden in homes. Hagari suggested that some of the deaths were caused by secondary explosions.

Author - Dmitriy Levchenko, 24/09/2024