Jake Smith
Israeli airstrikes killed scores of Hezbollah terrorists on Monday as the possibility of a major war between the two adversaries continues to grow.
The Lebanese Health Ministry said that Israeli warplanes hit over 300 targets in Lebanon on Monday, killing at least 270 people and injuring hundreds more, though that number doesn’t distinguish between civilians and terrorists, according to several reports. The strikes follow a string of attacks between Israel and Hezbollah over recent weeks, which have grown more severe and raised concerns that a broader regional war could be right around the corner.
The Israeli airstrikes on Monday appeared to be the largest in scale in roughly a year of fighting, according to reports. An evacuation warning was reportedly broadcast throughout Lebanon ahead of the strikes.
IDF INFILTRATES LEBANON RADIO
An urgent message from the IDF broadcast on Lebanese radio: “The IDF is targeting Hezbollah military positions in your village and does not intend to harm civilians. If you are in or near a Hezbollah-used building, you must evacuate the village by… pic.twitter.com/1T4vtmRCzX
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) September 23, 2024
“Hezbollah is forcing the [Israel Defense Forces] to target military areas in the village. The [Israel Defense Forces] don’t want to harm you. If you are located in a building used by —” a message communicated through a major Lebanese radio station broadcasted before it was abruptly cut off, according to CNN. The radio station had reportedly been hacked by Israeli forces.
Hezbollah took a major blow last week after thousands of its operatives’ communications devices abruptly exploded, causing scores of injuries and deaths. Israel is suspected of having planted explosives in the devices before they were delivered to Hezbollah, which were later detonated remotely.
Hezbollah, one of the largest Iranian-backed terrorist organizations in the Middle East, began attacking Israel over the Lebanese-Israeli border in October to support Hamas’ attacks against the country, which left roughly 1,200 Israelis dead. Israel has since engaged in cross-border skirmishes with Hezbollah, which have escalated significantly in recent months.
Though the U.S. and the West have urged the two to resolve the conflict through diplomatic means, there are no signs that tensions will de-escalate anytime soon. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said last week that the time for diplomacy had passed because “Hezbollah continues to tie itself to Hamas and refuses to end the conflict,” according to Axios.
For its part, Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate against Israel for the attacks last week and launched hundreds of rockets into the northern territory of the country on Sunday, according to multiple reports.
The Israel Defense Forces did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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