Missiles slammed into southern Lebanon, shattering the early-morning silence Monday and reportedly killing almost 200 people as Israel said it was targeting Hezbollah weapons hidden in residential buildings. The explosions came as Israel heralded a new wave of attacks on the Iran-backed group in Lebanon, warning civilians to flee from any buildings or areas where the organization had weapons or fighters positioned.
The Lebanese Ministry of Health said at least 182 people were killed and more than 725 wounded in Israeli strikes on Monday alone. The Ministry did not say how many of those killed and wounded were militants, but it said there were women, children and paramedics among the casualties.
Israel’s military said at least 35 more rockets or drones were fired from Lebanon at northern Israel, many of which fell in open areas or were intercepted. Israeli media said at least one man was injured amid the barrage.
The new crossfire came as Israel warned people in Lebanon — via automated phone calls, text messages and reportedly even Lebanese radio stations hacked into by its military — to avoid buildings used by Hezbollah.
The IDF shared images online of what it said were secondary explosions following some of its strikes Monday in southern Lebanon, showing, it said, “Hezbollah’s weapons exploding inside homes.”
“Every house that we strike contains weapons — rockets, missiles, UAVs — that are intended to kill Israeli civilians,” the IDF said. It said 300 separate Hezbollah targets were hit in its Monday morning airstrikes in Lebanon.
Read more at CBSnews.com
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