Lebanon experiences deadliest day of conflict since 2006: Israeli attacks kill over 270 people

MARJAYOUN, Lebanon (AP) — Israeli strikes killed more than 270 Lebanese on Monday, the deadliest shelling since the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. The Israeli military warned residents in southern and eastern Lebanon to leave their homes ahead of an escalation of the air offensive against Hezbollah.

Thousands of Lebanese fled the south, and the main highway out of the southern port city of Sidon was clogged with cars heading to Beirut, the biggest exodus since fighting began in 2006. More than 1,000 other people were injured in the attacks – a staggering death toll in one day for a country still reeling from the aftermath of a deadly attack on communications equipment last week.

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

In a recorded message to Lebanese civilians, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged them 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.”

Smoke rises from Israeli airstrikes on villages in the Nabatiyeh district, seen from the southern town of Marjayoun, Lebanon, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Hussein Malla

The Israeli military said on Monday evening that it had carried out a targeted attack in Beirut. No further details were initially provided.

Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad told a news conference in Beirut that the 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 people displaced from the south.

The Israeli military said it had hit around 800 targets and said it had focused on Hezbollah weapons depots. Some attacks hit residential areas in towns in the south and the eastern Bekaa Valley. One attack 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 had a long-standing presence there, having been established in 1982 with the help of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari reiterated the warnings and urged residents to immediately evacuate areas where Hezbollah stores weapons, including the valley. The warnings left open the possibility that some residents may be living in or near targeted buildings without knowing they are at risk.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah said in a statement that 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 a nearly year-long, steadily escalating conflict and came after a particularly fierce exchange of fire on Sunday. Hezbollah fired around 150 rockets, missiles and drones into northern Israel in retaliation for attacks that killed a senior commander and dozens of fighters.

The increasing attacks and counterattacks have raised fears of all-out war, even as Israel continues to fight Hamas in Gaza and seeks to free dozens of hostages captured in the October 7 Hamas attack. Hezbollah has said it will continue its attacks in solidarity with the Palestinians and Hamas, a militant group also backed by Iran. Israel says it is determined to restore calm on its northern border.

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

Lebanon’s state news agency said the attacks hit a forest area in the central province of Byblos, about 130 kilometers north of the Israeli-Lebanese border, for the first time since the shooting began in October.

Israel also bombed targets in the northeastern regions of Baalbek and Hermel, where a shepherd was killed and two family members injured, according to the news agency. A total of 30 people were injured in the attacks.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry put the death toll at 274. It asked hospitals in southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley to postpone operations that could be performed later. The ministry said in a statement that the request was aimed at keeping 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.

Lebanese media reported that residents had received text messages asking them to stay away from all buildings where Hezbollah stores weapons until further notice.

“If you are in a building where Hezbollah weapons are stored, leave the village until further notice,” the Arab embassy said, according to Lebanese media.

Lebanese Information Minister Ziad Makary said in a statement that his office in Beirut received a recorded message asking 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 mainly by Hezbollah members exploded in various parts of Lebanon, killing 39 people and injuring nearly 3,000. Lebanon blamed Israel for the attacks, but Israel did not confirm or deny responsibility.

A day after the October 7 attack, Hezbollah began firing into Israel, saying it was an attempt to get Israeli forces to support Palestinian fighters in Gaza. Israel responded with airstrikes, and the conflict has steadily escalated over the past year.

Israel has promised to push Hezbollah back from the border so its citizens can return to their homes. It prefers to do this through diplomatic means, but is also prepared to use force. Hezbollah has said it will continue its attacks until there is a ceasefire in Gaza, but that seems increasingly unlikely 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.

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

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