Israeli military launches fresh strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon, at least 182 reported killed

Israel attacked hundreds of Hezbollah targets on Monday in airstrikes that Lebanese health authorities said killed at least 182 people, making it the deadliest day in Lebanon in nearly a year of conflict.

After some of the heaviest cross-border exchanges of fire since the conflict flared, Israel warned people to evacuate areas where it said the armed group was storing weapons.

After almost a year of war against Hamas in Gaza on its southern border, Israel is shifting its focus to its northern border, from where Iran-backed Hezbollah has been firing rockets into Israel in support of its ally Hamas.

"We are deepening our attacks in Lebanon, the actions will continue until we achieve our goal to return the northern residents safely to their homes," Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said in a video published by his office on Monday.

"These are days in which the Israeli public will have to show composure."

He was speaking after the Israeli military targeted Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon's south, eastern Bekaa Valley and northern region near Syria.

Lebanon's Health Ministry said at least 182 people had been killed, including women, children and medics, and more than 727 wounded in Israel's strikes on Monday.

Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on X that more than 300 Hezbollah targets had been struck so far after earlier warning that airstrikes were imminent on houses in Lebanon where "Hezbollah hid weapons."

In response, Hezbollah said it had launched rockets at Israeli military posts.

Residents of southern Lebanon received calls from a Lebanese number ordering them to immediately distance themselves 1,000 metres from any post used by Hezbollah, a Reuters reporter in the south, who received the call, said.

Evacuation calls have been received on phones as far as the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

Lebanon's information minister Ziad Makary said his ministry had received a similar call ordering the building to evacuate, but said the ministry would do no such thing. "This is a psychological war," Makary told Reuters.

A Lebanese person living in Beirut's Manara area told Reuters that her family received a call on their landline.

"So they were freaking out, I am freaking out as well because we thought somehow the area we live in is safe because we're surrounded by ambassadors," said the person.