Beirut/Tel Aviv – Israel is continuing its bombing campaign in Lebanon after hundreds of people were killed in massive airstrikes on the Hezbollah militia on Monday.
The Israeli military said Tuesday that “in the past few hours, the (Israeli Air Force) has struck Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, including launch sites, terrorist infrastructure sites and buildings where weapons were stored.”
Hezbollah, which is based in Lebanon but is backed by Iran, has meanwhile launched new attacks on northern Israel.
The Israeli military reported that more than 50 projectiles were fired from Lebanon at various areas in northern Israel.
“Most of the projectiles were intercepted and several fallen projectiles were identified in the area,” the report said. There were no reports of injuries. Several buildings were damaged.
Hezbollah said earlier it had attacked Israel at least six times with Fadi-1 and Fadi-2 rockets since Tuesday morning.
Among other things, it is said to have attacked the Israeli military airport Megiddo west of the city of Afula and again the military base Ramat David near Haifa.
Deadliest day in Lebanon
Nearly 500 people were killed and more than 1,600 wounded in southern and eastern Lebanon in Monday’s Israeli strikes, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said, the deadliest attack in decades.
As the war in Gaza approaches its first anniversary, the long-feared escalation of the Middle East conflict appears to be a reality. Lebanese authorities report that at least 492 people have been killed, including 35 children, and another 1,645 wounded.
Israel said it had carried out more than 1,300 strikes on targets in Lebanon, including one in the capital Beirut. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described it as a pre-emptive strike aimed at disabling Hezbollah’s weapons.
Netanyahu said Hezbollah had hidden its rockets aimed at Israeli cities in private living rooms. “To defend our people from Hezbollah attacks, we need to bring out these weapons,” he said Monday.
Israeli citizens across the country should prepare for possible counterattacks from the Hezbollah militia, the military’s Homefront Command said Tuesday.
A spokesman told the online news service ynet that the country’s residents should be prepared to seek shelter in the event of rocket attacks.
The UN monitoring mission on the border between Israel and Lebanon, the so-called
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has announced that it will temporarily suspend its patrols due to the increased danger to its personnel.
The risk of mutual fire between the Israeli army and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia makes it necessary for the so-called “Blue Helmets” to remain on their bases for now, a UN spokesman told reporters on Monday.
South Lebanese fear further airstrikes
Thousands of families who fled southern Lebanon after the sudden Israeli bombardments have booked up their hotels in the capital Beirut.
“We escaped with only the clothes we were wearing and our most important belongings in a small bag. My brother, who lives abroad, booked two rooms for us in a hotel,” Fatima Ezzeddine told dpa on Tuesday.
“The airstrikes targeted a building next to our house in Housh, near Tyre. The house was badly damaged and there were deaths and injuries in our building,” police said.
People fleeing strikes in southern Lebanon continued to flock to the capital on Tuesday, with traffic jams spreading as far south as Beirut.
“This is a disaster,” Mustafa told dpa. He came from Sidquine, which was badly hit by the airstrikes, and found a room in a hotel in Beirut.
“I don’t know who to blame, but we, the citizens, are paying a deadly price.”
