LAST UPDATE | 23 Sep
THE DEATH TOLL from Israeli strikes on Lebanon has risen to nearly 500 people, by far the worst death toll on a single day of any in the past year of hostilities near the border.
The victims include 35 children, according to Lebanon’s ministry for health. The Israeli military has fired on more than 1,300 sites in Lebanon today that it claims are Hezbollah targets as the situation along the Blue Line remains fraught.
Lebanon’s ministry for health has said that Israel’s attacks on “southern towns and villages” has killed 356 people, including 35 children and 58 women, and 1,645 more are injured.
Emergency workers are also among the wounded and deceased, it said.
In the last week overall, Israeli attacks have injured more than 5,000 people, according to Lebanon.
The health ministry has asked hospitals in the south and east of the country to call off non-essential surgeries to be ready to treat those who are wounded by the strikes.
One family affected by the strikes have two people wounded and another, a civilian shepherd, killed, Lebanese state media reported.
Israel says it has targeted more than 300 Hezbollah sites in strikes this morning alone, including 150 air strikes carried out between 6.30am and 7.30am local time (3.30am to 4.30am GMT).
In a statement this evening, the Israeli Defence Forces claimed it had killed a “large number” of Hezbollah’s fighters during today’s bombardments and that it had carried out strikes on more than 1,300 locations – including “targeted” areas of the capital Beirut.
Lebanon has closed schools for two days in areas that Israel has targeted in the east and south of the country, as well as in southern suburbs of the capital city Beirut that were hit on Friday.
Heavy traffic has been reported on some roads in the direction of Beirut as many individuals and families in affected areas of southern Lebanon try to escape the epicentre of he violence.
The Norwegian Refugee Council estimates that “thousands” of people will be displaced today in a country that is already hosting more than 1.5 million refugees from Syria and Palestine.
“Israel’s airstrikes across Lebanese villages and cities on Monday are the most violent in 11 months. Residential areas and densely populated neighbourhoods were bombed, which means the human toll will be immense,” the Council’s Secretary General Jan Egeland said this afternoon.
An Israeli military spokesperson said earlier that it is launching “extensive and precise” strikes against targets in Lebanon and that Lebanese civilians have been warned to “move away” from Hezbollah hotspots.
In response, Hezbollah is launching bombs at three sites in northern Israel that it claims are military production facilities north of the city of Haifa, a Hezbollah statement said.
Attacks exchanged by Israel and Hezbollah have intensified in recent days in the wake of the co-ordinated explosions in Lebanon that killed dozens of people and injured thousands when handheld communication devices used by Hezbollah members simultaneously detonated.
Lebanon blames Israel for the fatal explosions that occurred last Tuesday and Wednesday. Israel has not formally taken responsibility but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel had in recent days “landed a series of blows on Hezbollah that it could never have imagined”.
This morning, for the first time, Israel issued a warning to civilians in Lebanon – an indication of more heavy fire to come.
“We advise civilians from Lebanese villages located in and next to buildings and areas used by Hezbollah for military purposes, such as those used to store weapons, to immediately move out of harm’s way for their own safety,” military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a media briefing.
He said the IDF would engage in “extensive and precise strikes against terror targets which have been embedded widely throughout Lebanon” and that the strikes “will go on for the near future”.
The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeeping force has said that “any further escalation of this dangerous situation could have far-reaching and devastating consequences, not only for those living on both sides of the Blue Line but also for the broader region”.
Irish service members who are currently based near the southern border of Lebanon near as UNFIL peacekeepers are providing Government with regular updates about their situation.
“The morale of our troops is strong and they’re in very difficult and very challenging circumstances,” Tánaiste Micheál Martin said this afternoon.
The risk of the conflict escalating to an all-out war is growing by the day.
Iran – a long-time enemy of Israel that supports Hezbollah with finances, training and weapons - has warned Israel of “dangerous consequences” for its strikes.
SCL @JeanineHennis begins an official visit to #Israel today. She is set to meet with senior Israeli officials to discuss recent developments.
— UNSCOL (@UNSCOL) September 23, 2024
She underscores that there is no military solution that will make either side safer.
FULL statement🔗https://t.co/Tz4fXi3mX6 pic.twitter.com/XlARsTMHB4
The Israeli air strike in a densely populated area of Beirut on Friday killed 45 people, including civilians. The head of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, Ibrahim Aqil, and a number of other Hezbollah commanders were also killed.
Hezbollah’s deputy leader Naim Qassem said that it is ready for “all military possibilities” and that threats “will not stop” them.
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty has said that there is “great concern” about the possibility of escalation leading to an “all-out regional war”. He warned that the rise in violence between Israel and Hezbollah could undermine efforts to secure a truce deal in Gaza.
At least 41,455 people have been killed in Gaza since last October as Israel carries out its bombardment campaign.
Talks mediated by international negotiators have tried to broker a deal for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that would include the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza but progress has been slow.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that that he fears neither the Israeli government nor Hamas are committed to wanting a ceasefire, adding: “And that is a tragedy, because this is a war that must stop.”
Additional reporting by AFP
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