Hundreds dead and more than 1,200 wounded in intensive Israeli airstrikes targeting Lebanon

More than 350 people have died following a barrage of Israeli airstrikes in eastern and southern Lebanon.

The death toll includes 42 women and 24 children, according to the Lebanese health ministry, while more than 1200 individuals have been injured so far. However, authorities emphasized that the situation is fluid as they continue to determine the overall impact of the attacks while the strikes continue.

This makes it the deadliest day of Israeli strikes in Lebanon since the war in 2006. The Israeli army had previously warned Lebanese citizens living in the southern part of the country and the Bekaa area via text message that they should avoid Hezbollah sites.

Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) is reporting that a number of civilian homes were targeted and destroyed in villages in the Bekaa area as well as several parts in the South, with at least 58 different villages and towns being hit so far.

The NNA stated: “The Israeli enemy continues to intensify its raids on all areas, valleys and outskirts of towns in the western sector [of south Lebanon].”

A resident of the coastal city of Tyre said that Israeli warplanes had been “raining” bombs near his home for several hours and that the city was “being emptied of its residents” after seeing numerous residential buildings collapse. The Lebanese government ordered all classes at universities and schools throughout the country to be suspended amid the ongoing airstrikes through at least Tuesday.

Hezbollah is already retaliating, with the group’s military media announcing that fighters are targeting sites such as “the reserve headquarters of the Northern Corps, the reserve base of the Galilee Division and its logistical warehouses in the Amiad base, and the military industries complexes of the Rafael Company in the Zevulun area north of Haifa with dozens of rockets.”

Israel’s Iron Dome intercepted a number of rockets over Haifa, and the IDF claims that more than 200 rockets were fired from Lebanon into the Jewish state on Monday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized to the Lebanese people that Israel is at war with Hezbollah and not them while continuing to urge them to stay out of the way as they target the terror group.

In a televised speech, he asserted: “I have a message for the people of Lebanon: Israel’s war is not with you. It’s with Hezbollah.”

He also tried to justify his actions, stating: “For too long, Hezbollah has been using you as human shields. It placed rockets in your living rooms and missiles in your garage. Those rockets and missiles are aimed directly at our cities, directly at our citizens.”

U.S. military sending more personnel to Middle East

As tensions continue to rise, the U.S. military is sending a small number of personnel to the Middle East to support forces that are already positioned there.

Pentagon press secretary Major General Patrick Ryder announced: “In light of the increased tensions in the Middle East, and out of an abundance of caution, we are sending a small number of additional U.S. military personnel forward to augment our forces that are already in the region, but for operational security reasons I’m not going to comment further.”

It is not known how many troops are being deployed or where they will be sent. However, there are already thousands of American troops in the region, in addition to assets such as fighter aircraft and destroyers.

A spokesperson for the Iranian foreign ministry has warned that there will be “dangerous consequences” for the strikes while strongly criticizing the U.S. for supporting Israel and the “crimes” it is committing in Palestinian territories.

Sources for this article include:

TheCradle.co

CNN.com