By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
BEIRUT/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes in southern Lebanon as massive Israeli airstrikes targeting the Islamic, Iran-backed Hezbollah group killed hundreds, witnesses and officials said.
Israel had warned people to evacuate areas where it claimed Hezbollah was storing weapons, including in civilian areas.
As the massive exodus was underway, Israel conformed and launched a fresh wave of strikes on Hezbollah overnight, targeting positions that had fired rockets into Israel.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had attacked “dozens of targets” in several areas in southern Lebanon.
The announcement came a day after at least “492 people were killed” in Lebanon by Israeli airstrikes. “Almost 1,650 people” were injured as well, said the Lebanese health ministry.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said the military was changing the “security balance” along its northern border in attacks that killed a senior Hezbollah leader and top commanders from the group in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
Like tens of thousands of residents in northern Israel after Hezbollah attacks, the Israeli strikes prompted families in southern Lebanon to flee.
LOADING CARS
Many could be seen loading cars, vans, and trucks with belongings and people, sometimes multiple generations, in one vehicle.
Witnesses said children “crammed onto parents’ laps,” and suitcases were tied to car roofs.
Their rush to safety came as the United States was sending additional troops to the Middle East due to escalating clashes between Israel and Hezbollah, the Pentagon said on Monday, without elaborating on the precise number or mission of the deployed forces.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we are sending a small number of additional US military personnel forward to augment our forces that are already in the region,” Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesperson, told media.
“We have more capability in the region today than we did on April 14th when Iran conducted its drone and missile attack against Israel,” Ryder added, referring to Iran’s attack by more than 300 missiles and drones.
The Iranian attacks caused only modest damage inside Israel thanks to air defense interceptions from the United States, Britain, and other allies in the region.
However, Hezbollah’s attacks have raised worries that Israel would be forced to fight on multiple fronts, putting additional pressure on its exhausted military. The U.S. and other countries have urged their citizens to leave Lebanon in anticipation of a broader regional conflict.
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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