Tensions are escalating in Lebanon, as Israel struck targets in the southern part of the country and the Bekaa Valley throughout Monday. At least 480 people have lost their lives. Hezbollah responded with rocket fire. The Israeli army warns that it is preparing for the next phase of its operation.
“The Israeli army is preparing for the next phase of its operation in Lebanon,” after launching a large wave of airstrikes against Hezbollah targets throughout Monday, said Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi. “We are targeting Hezbollah’s infrastructure. We are striking targets and preparing for the next phases,” he stated, without providing further details.
After nearly a year of war against Hamas in Gaza, Israel has turned its attention to the northern borders, where Hezbollah is launching rockets. The Israeli army managed to strike locations in southern, eastern, and northern Lebanon.
Specifically, Israel launched airstrikes against hundreds of Hezbollah targets, killing more than 480 people, marking the deadliest day in Lebanon in decades, according to authorities.
Injuries exceed 1,600.
Israel had issued warnings to residents of Lebanon to evacuate areas where strikes were planned.
“Tens of thousands of citizens have left southern Lebanon ‘due to Israeli atrocities,’” said Lebanese Minister coordinating the crisis response, Nasser Yasin. He reported that 89 temporary shelters have been activated in schools, with a capacity to accommodate more than 26,000 people so far.
“We are changing the balance”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the Lebanese people in a video message: “Israel’s war is not against you; it is against Hezbollah. For too long, Hezbollah has used you as human shields.”
“I promised that we would change the security balance, the balance of power in the North. That’s exactly what we are doing,” the Israeli Prime Minister stated in a subsequent declaration.
Strike in Beirut
On the evening of Monday, an Israeli strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut targeted the head of Hezbollah’s southern front, Ali Karaki. According to initial reports, he was killed; however, later in the night, Hezbollah stated that Ali Karaki is fine and has been moved to a safe location.
Earlier, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated that the campaign would continue until “we achieve our goal of ensuring that the residents of the North can return home safely.”
The Israeli army reported that it struck around 800 targets linked to Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley. “Among the targets hit were buildings where Hezbollah was hiding rockets, missiles, launchers, UAVs, and additional terrorist infrastructure.”
Hezbollah, for its part, has vowed to continue fighting until there is a ceasefire in Gaza, while it has not commented on Israeli claims that it was hiding weapons in homes.
In response to the strikes, Hezbollah launched dozens of rockets at a military base in northern Israel.
Sirens sounded across northern Israel, including Haifa, and in the northern part of the occupied West Bank.
“We are deepening our attacks”
“We are deepening our attacks in Lebanon; the action will continue until we achieve our goal of ensuring that the residents of the North can return home safely,” stated Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. He also called on Israelis to remain calm.
Lebanese media reports indicate that Hezbollah members in southern Lebanon are telling residents to evacuate their homes.
Iran: Israel is “expanding the war” in the Middle East
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused Israel of wanting to “expand” the war in the Middle East, emphasizing that this “will not benefit anyone,” and insisted that Tehran does not seek to “destabilize” the region.
“We know better than anyone that if a larger war broke out in the Middle East, it would not benefit anyone in the world. It is Israel that seeks to expand this war,” he stated from New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
US Sends Additional Forces to the Middle East
The United States is sending additional troops to the Middle East amid escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Pentagon announced on Monday, refusing to specify the exact number or the mission of the deploying forces.
“We are sending a small number of additional American military personnel to bolster our forces already in the area,” said Pentagon spokesperson Colonel Patrick Ryder.
The US has expressed “concern” over the Israeli military operation that led to the closure of the Al Jazeera office in Ramallah, a State Department spokesperson stated.
Erdogan Accuses Israel
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
He accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza and stated that Benjamin Netanyahu is violating international law.
Suspension of Flights to Beirut and Tel Aviv
Lufthansa Group airlines are suspending flights to and from Tel Aviv and Tehran until October 14, while the suspension of flights to Beirut remains in effect until October 26.
“For operational reasons, Lufthansa has already decided to suspend flights to Tehran until October 26,” states the Lufthansa Group announcement, which emphasizes that the airline group will continue to closely monitor developments and reassess the situation in the coming days.
Meanwhile, Jordan has suspended flights from its carriers to Beirut until further notice, according to an announcement from the kingdom’s Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission.
UN Alarmed by Escalation in Lebanon
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is alarmed by the escalation of the situation in Lebanon and very concerned about the high number of civilian casualties reported by Lebanese authorities, his spokesperson stated on Monday.
