Israel warns civilians as air strikes pound Lebanon
Al Jazeera
Israeli warnings and bombardment of Lebanon raise fears of regional escalation into full-scale war.
Israel’s military has warned civilians to avoid Hezbollah positions as it pounds southern Lebanon, while it was reported that phone warnings have been received across the country.
The Israeli army reported on Monday that its warplanes had launched more than 300 strikes in Lebanon. In an earlier message, the military warned of further action against the Iran-backed armed group, which launched a barrage of missiles into northern Israel the previous day.
The intensification of the fighting across the shared border, which has seen low-level skirmishes since Israel launched its war on Gaza in October, follows last week’s explosions of pagers and walkie-talkies which killed dozens in Lebanon. The increased hostilities further raise fears of an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah, or even a wider regional conflagration.
In the early hours of Monday, Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said the army had conducted “extensive strikes” against Hezbollah posts after identifying attempts to fire missiles. Israel’s government recently declared that it was shifting more focus to the fighting with Hezbollah in a bid to allow the 60,000 or so Israelis evacuated from the border areas to return.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant called on the public to remain calm as the military broadened its assault.
