Israeli warplanes have bombed southern and eastern Lebanon as locals were warned to stay away from Hezbollah targets, as the region inches closer to all-out war.
Official Lebanese media reported early this morning that “enemy warplanes have been launched.” Later it was reported that at least one civilian was killed.
Huge plumes of smoke were seen in several places deep in the country, with rockets being fired into areas that had not been hit before. Witnesses also reported heavy bombardments.
The official Lebanese National News Agency (NNA) reported that people in the capital Beirut received warnings via Israeli telephone asking them to evacuate.
“Residents of Beirut and some other areas are receiving warning messages from the Israeli enemy on landlines, asking them to evacuate as soon as possible,” the NNA said.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reported that their aircraft attacked 150 targets this morning. It was reported that they were working to prevent “major rocket attacks” on Israel.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant confirmed that the Israeli army was “exacerbating” the attacks in Lebanon and suggested the situation would become more intense. In a video message, he warned: “These are days when the Israeli people must show calm.”
People walk on a beach as smoke rises over southern Lebanon after Israeli attacks
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike in Aramti, near the Lebanon-Israel border, on September 23, 2024
Smoke rises over southern Lebanon after Israeli strikes, amid ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, seen from Tyre
Gallant revealed this morning on X that he has provided his American counterpart with a “situational assessment of Hezbollah threats and briefed him on IDF operations to reduce Hezbollah’s ability to carry out attacks on Israeli civilians.”
He added that the broader regional security situation and the “threats posed by Iran and its allies” were also discussed.
The Israeli military warned residents of villages in southern Lebanon: “If you are in or near a building that Hezbollah uses to store weapons, you must immediately leave the building and move away.
“Anyone who comes near Hezbollah members or the organization’s weapons puts themselves in danger.”
The NNA reported that there had been “more than 80 airstrikes in half an hour” targeting the Nabatiyeh district of southern Lebanon. It also reported attacks in the Tyre area.
At the same time, the NNA reported “intensive raids in the Bekaa Valley in the east, deep inside Lebanon, close to the Syrian border, including near Baalbek and the outskirts of Hermel.
According to the NNA, a “civilian” and a shepherd were killed in the attacks in the east, and “two members of his family” and four others were wounded.
A Hezbollah source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the attacks in the Bekaa Valley swept the area from east to west.
Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that “we advise civilians from Lebanese villages who are in and near buildings and areas used by Hezbollah for military purposes, such as those where weapons are stored, to immediately move out of the danger zone for their own safety.”
Smoke rises from the site of Israeli airstrikes on Lebanese villages, seen from Marjaayoun, southern Lebanon
Smoke rises from an Israeli airstrike on the village of Kfar Rouman, seen from the town of Marjayoun, southern Lebanon
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike in Marjayoun, near the Lebanon-Israel border
Hagari told a news conference that the Israeli military will “carry out more extensive and precise strikes against terrorist targets that are widespread in Lebanon.”
When asked by reporters about a possible Israeli ground attack in Lebanon, Hagari said, “We will do whatever it takes” to safely return evacuated residents of northern Israel to their homes, a priority for the Israeli government during the war.
He said that over the years Hezbollah has hidden weapons, including cruise missiles, in homes and buildings across southern Lebanon and called on residents to stay away from these locations.
At a press conference, he presented aerial footage of what he described as Hezbollah operatives attempting to fire cruise missiles from a civilian home in Lebanon, and the subsequent Israeli attack just before the missiles were fired.
“Hezbollah is putting you in danger. Putting you and your families in danger,” Hagari said.
An Israeli fighter jet flies amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, seen from northern Israel, September 23, 2024
A line of cars can be seen outside Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport this morning as people were reportedly asked to evacuate
Hezbollah has engaged in near-daily firefights with Israeli forces across the border in support of Hamas since the Palestinian militant group’s October 7 attack that sparked the war in Gaza.
Violence has escalated in recent days, with Israel and Hezbollah exchanging heavy fire over the weekend, raising fears of all-out war.
When asked if a ground attack on southern Lebanon was imminent, a senior Israeli military official said the IDF was “currently focused exclusively on Israel’s airstrikes.”
The official explained Israel’s objectives in the fight against Hezbollah, telling reporters that the country wants to limit the militants’ ability to fire rockets across the border, as it has done for 11 months.
The aim is reportedly to push Hezbollah fighters back from the border and destroy the group’s infrastructure, which one official said would be used to “attack Israeli communities in the north, to slaughter, murder and kidnap Israeli civilians.”