Israel launches intense strikes on Lebanon

An Israel Defense Forces fighter jet departs from an undisclosed location moments before an Israeli strike in Lebanon, Sept. 19, 2024. The Israeli army said it struck hundreds of targets in Lebanon. Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike in the southern Lebanese village of Khiam near the border, Sept. 19, 2024. Men smoke waterpipes as they watch a televised speech by the leader of the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, at a cafe in the Jabal Mehsen neighborhood of Tripoli, Lebanon, Sept. 19, 2024. A photo taken on Sept. 18, 2024, in Beirut's southern suburbs shows the remains of exploded pagers on display at an undisclosed location. FILE - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, right, and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant are pictured at an arrival ceremony at the Pentagon in Washington, June 25, 2024. The two spoke by phone about Israel's defense against Hezbollah threats, Gallant said Sept. 19, 2024.

Israeli forces late Thursday carried out their most intense strike on southern Lebanon in nearly one year of war, increasing tensions between the two countries despite international calls for calm.