Lebanon experiences bloodiest day of conflict since 2006, Israeli attacks kill 182 people

MARJAYOUN, Lebanon (AP) — Israeli strikes in Lebanon killed more than 350 people on Monday, including more than 60 women and children, Lebanese authorities said, the deadliest attack since the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. The Israeli military warned residents in southern and eastern Lebanon to evacuate before the escalating air campaign against Hezbollah.

Thousands of Lebanese fled the south, and the main road out of the southern port city of Sidon was clogged with cars heading toward Beirut, the largest exodus since 2006.

The Lebanese Health Ministry said the attacks killed 356 people, including 24 children and 42 women, and injured 1,246 people – a horrifying death toll in one day for a country that is still reeling out of a deadly attack on communications devices last week.

The death toll far exceeded that of Beirut. devastating port explosion in 2020when hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse detonated, killing at least 218 people and injuring over 6,000.

In a recorded message, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Lebanese civilians to heed Israeli calls for evacuation, saying: “Take this warning seriously.”

“Please get out of the danger zone now,” Netanyahu said. “As soon as our operation is over, you can safely return to your homes.”

Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Israeli warplanes attacked 1,300 Hezbollah targets on Monday, destroying cruise missiles, rockets loaded with heavy explosives, long- and short-range missiles and attack drones.

He said many of them were hidden in residential areas and showed photos of weapons hidden in private homes.

“Hezbollah has turned southern Lebanon into a war zone,” he said at a press conference.

Israel estimates that Hezbollah has about 150,000 rockets and missiles, including guided missiles and long-range projectiles that can strike anywhere in Israel.

On Monday evening, the Israeli military said it had carried out a targeted attack in Beirut. Details were not given. The Lebanese state news agency reported that the Beir al-Abed district in southern Beirut had been hit by three rockets. Hezbollah's Al-Manar television station reported that six people had been injured.

Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad told a news conference that the earlier attacks had hit hospitals, medical centers and ambulances. The government ordered the closure of schools and universities in much of the country and began preparing shelters for the displaced.

Some attacks hit residential areas in the south and eastern Bekaa Valley. One hit a forest area in central Lebanon, more than 130 kilometers from the border north of Beirut.

The military said it would expand airstrikes to areas of the valley along Lebanon's eastern border with Syria. Hezbollah has long had a strong presence there. The group was founded in 1982 with the help of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

Israeli military chief Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said Israel was preparing the “next phase” of its operations against Hezbollah. The airstrikes were “proactive” and targeted Hezbollah's infrastructure, which it had built up over the past 20 years.

Halevi said more details would be announced in the near future and the goal is to enable displaced Israelis to return to their homes in northern Israel.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah said it had fired dozens of rockets at Israel, including military bases, and attacked the facilities of Haifa-based defense company Rafael for the second consecutive day.

While Israel was carrying out the attacks, Israeli authorities reported a series of air raid sirens in northern Israel warning of rocket fire from Lebanon.

The evacuation warnings were the first of their kind in nearly a year constantly escalating conflict and came after a particularly heavy exchange of fire on Sunday. Hezbollah fired around 150 rockets, missiles and drones at northern Israel in retaliation for attacks in which a top commander and dozens of fighters.

The increasing attacks and counterattacks have raised fears of a full-scale war, while Israel is simultaneously fighting Hamas in the Gaza Strip and trying to negotiate the release of numerous hostages held in the Hamas attack on 7 OctoberHezbollah has said it will continue its attacks in solidarity with Hamas, a militant group also backed by Iran.

Associated Press journalists in southern Lebanon reported heavy air strikes on Monday morning in numerous areas, including some far from the border.

The Lebanese state news agency reported that the attacks hit the Central African province of Byblos for the first time since the fighting began.

Israel also bombed targets in the northeastern regions of Baalbek and Hermel, killing a shepherd and wounding two relatives, the news agency reported. A total of 30 people were injured.

Lebanon's Health Ministry asked hospitals in southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley to postpone non-urgent surgeries to keep hospitals ready to treat people injured by “Israel's increasing aggression against Lebanon.”

An Israeli military official said Israel was focusing on air operations and had no immediate plans for a ground operation. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with regulations, said the strikes were aimed at limiting Hezbollah's ability to launch further attacks on Israel.

Residents received text messages saying: “If you are in a building where Hezbollah weapons are stored, leave the village until further notice,” Lebanese media reported.

Lebanese Information Minister Ziad Makary said his office in Beirut received a recorded message urging people to leave the building.

“This is part of the psychological war being waged by the enemy,” Makary said, urging people “not to give the matter more attention than it deserves.”

Due to the almost daily exchanges of fire, the communities on both sides of the border have largely emptied.

Israel accuses Hezbollah of turning entire communities in the south into militant bases with hidden rocket launchers and other infrastructure, which could prompt the Israeli military to launch a particularly heavy bombing campaign even if ground troops do not intervene.

An Israeli airstrike on a Beirut suburb on Friday killed a senior Hezbollah military commander and more than a dozen fighters, as well as dozens of civilians, including women and children.

Last week, thousands of communications devices used primarily by Hezbollah members were exploded in various parts of LebanonThe attack killed 39 people and injured nearly 3,000, many of them civilians. Lebanon blamed Israel, but Israel did not confirm or deny responsibility.

A day after the October 7 attack, Hezbollah began shelling Israel, claiming it was an attempt to get Israeli forces to support Palestinian fighters in the Gaza Strip. Israel responded with air strikes, and the conflict steadily escalated.

Israel has promised to push Hezbollah back from the border so its citizens can return home. Hezbollah has said it will continue its attacks until there is a ceasefire in Gaza, but which seems increasingly difficult to grasp as the anniversary of the war approaches.

On October 7, Hamas-led militants entered southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting about 250. About 100 prisoners remain in Gaza, a third of whom are believed dead, after most of the rest were released during a week-long ceasefire in November.

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, over 41,000 Palestinians were killed in the Israeli offensive. No distinction is made between civilians and fighters. Just over half of those killed were women and children. Israel claims to have killed over 17,000 militants, but has not provided any evidence.

___

Lidman reported from Jerusalem and Mroue from Beirut. Associated Press writer Abby Sewell in Beirut contributed to this report.

___

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war