The escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah reached a deadly peak on Monday as Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon claimed the lives of at least 492 people, including 35 children. This grim toll marks the deadliest day of cross-border violence since the Gaza war began, highlighting the rapidly deteriorating situation.
Arab nations have vehemently condemned Israel for the escalating hostilities with Hezbollah, whose confrontation with Israel has reached levels unseen in almost a year. This war ignited after Hamas and other Palestinian militants launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7th, drawing in Hezbollah and other Iran-backed groups.
Israel maintains it targeted a “large number” of Hezbollah militants in its strikes on approximately 1,600 sites in southern and eastern Lebanon, including a “targeted strike” in Beirut. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) called this operation “Operation Northern Arrows”. Hezbollah has refuted Israeli claims that its third-in-command, Ali Karake, was killed in the strike on Beirut, asserting his safety.
State media in Lebanon reported fresh Israeli airstrikes in eastern Lebanon, while Hezbollah countered with attacks on five Israeli sites. The coastal Israeli city of Haifa witnessed panic as air raid sirens blared, prompting residents to seek cover.
Lebanon’s health ministry reported the devastating consequences of the airstrikes, stating that 492 people, including 35 children and 58 women, were killed. An additional 1,645 individuals were injured, and “thousands of families” have been displaced according to Health Minister Firass Abiad. Explosions near the ancient city of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon sent plumes of smoke into the sky, a chilling reminder of the ongoing violence.
The human cost of this conflict is acutely felt by civilians caught in the crossfire. Wafaa Ismail, a 60-year-old housewife from the southern village of Zawtar, poignantly describes the reality: “We sleep and wake up to bombardment… that’s what our life has become.”
Global powers have urged Israel and Hezbollah to step back from the brink of all-out war as the violence has shifted from Israel’s southern border with Gaza to its northern frontier with Lebanon. France and Egypt have called upon the United Nations Security Council to intervene, while Iraq has requested an urgent meeting of Arab states on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
Israeli army chief Herzi Halevi asserted that the strikes hit combat infrastructure Hezbollah had been building for two decades. Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant labelled Monday “a significant peak” in the operation, proclaiming “This is the most difficult week for Hezbollah since its establishment –- the results speak for themselves.” He added, “Entire units were taken out of battle as a result of the activities conducted at the beginning of the week in which numerous terrorists were injured.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel is acting to alter the “security balance” in the north.
Hezbollah, which has been engaging in near-daily fire exchanges with Israel in support of Hamas, claims to have entered a “new phase” of confrontation. The group stated it launched rockets at Israeli military sites near Haifa and two bases in retaliation for Israeli strikes on the south and the Bekaa region.
This latest escalation follows a deadly Friday strike by Israel on southern Beirut that killed Ibrahim Aqil, the commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force. Furthermore, coordinated communications device blasts, attributed to Israel by Hezbollah, killed 39 people and wounded almost 3,000 on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Since the outbreak of cross-border exchanges between Israel and Hezbollah in October, tens of thousands of people on both sides have been forced to flee their homes. An Israeli military official, who cannot be further identified under military rules, explained that the operation aims to “degrade threats” from Hezbollah, push them back from the border, and ultimately destroy infrastructure.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati implored the United Nations and world powers to deter what he described as Israel’s “plan that aims to destroy Lebanese villages and towns.”
EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell issued a stark warning, stating that Israel and Hezbollah were “almost in full-fledged war” ahead of a gathering of world leaders at the United Nations. US President Joe Biden, Israel’s main ally and weapons supplier, declared that his country was “working to de-escalate in a way that allows people to return home safely.” The Pentagon has announced the deployment of a small number of additional US military personnel to the Middle East, following the earlier deployment of thousands alongside warships, fighter jets, and air defence systems.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity at the UN General Assembly, revealed that Washington opposes an Israeli ground invasion targeting Hezbollah and has “concrete ideas” on how to de-escalate the crisis.
UN chief Antonio Guterres expressed deep concern over civilian casualties in Lebanon, with his spokesman stating that the UN was “gravely alarmed”. The United Nations peacekeeping force in south Lebanon issued a warning that “any further escalation of this dangerous situation could have far-reaching and devastating consequences.”
Qatar, a mediator in Gaza ceasefire talks, declared that Israel’s bombardment of Lebanon “puts the region on the brink of the abyss.” Turkey echoed the sentiment, stating that the strikes threatened “chaos,” while Jordan urged an immediate end to the escalation “before it is too late.”
The Palestinian foreign ministry condemned the strikes and directed Palestinian medical staff in Lebanon to provide support to the wounded. Iran’s newly elected president, Masoud Pezeshkian, accused Israel of seeking “to create this wider conflict.”
Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, primarily civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures that include hostages killed in captivity. Of the 251 hostages also seized by militants, 97 are still held in Gaza, including 33 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory military offensive has claimed the lives of at least 41,455 people in Gaza, with most being civilians, according to figures provided by the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry. The UN has deemed these figures reliable.
