At least 180 killed, over 700 wounded as Israel strikes 300 Hezbollah sites in Lebanon, says health ministry
By Shweta Kumari | First Published Sep 23, 2024, 4:28 PM ISTLebanon’s health ministry said at least 180 people were killed and more than 700 wounded, including children, women and medics, in Israeli strikes on Monday that targeted southern Lebanon.
In a significant development, at least 180 people were killed, and more than 700 others were wounded after the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched around 300 airstrikes on Hezbollah targets across southern Lebanon on Monday, the health ministry said. These figures come on top of the dozens killed and thousands injured in the pager and walkie-talkie blasts last week
Lebanon’s health ministry has asked all hospitals in the south and east of the country to “stop all non-essential surgery in order to make space to treat the wounded due to the expanding Israeli aggression”.
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Earlier Israel’s military had claimed it had targeted at least 300 Hezbollah locations inside Lebanon. "The Chief of Staff approves the attack on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon in a hole in Kirya. So far, over 300 Hezbollah targets have been attacked," wrote IDF in a statement on X.
הרמטכ"ל מאשר תקיפת מטרות חיזבאללה בלבנון בבור בקריה. עד כה הותקפו למעלה מ-300 מטרות חיזבאללה pic.twitter.com/EK6upWkOKc
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline)Hezbollah claimed to have fired rockets at Israeli military bases in northern Israel "in response to the Israeli enemy attacks that targeted the south and Bekaa areas." The IDF said its defense array had incercepted many of at least 35 projectiles it identified coming from Lebanon.
Monday’s strikes come against the backdrop of mounting tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group, as both sides have engaged in a series of escalating attacks. The IDF has accused Hezbollah of stockpiling weapons in civilian areas, embedding its military operations within residential zones, and putting local populations at risk.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Monday condemned the intense Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in eastern and southern Lebanon, describing them as a “destructive plan.”
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