Deepshikha Maan, Jadetimes Staff
D. Maan is a Jadetimes news reporter covering Israel Gaza War
Approximately 500 fatalities reported in Israel's most extensive airstrike against Hezbollah; UN Secretary General and international leaders express apprehensions
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cautioned of "challenging days" to come, underscoring Israel's preemptive defense approach. "We do not await the threat; we preempt it," he stated after Israel's most significant aircraft assault on Hezbollah since the onset of the Gaza conflict. The airstrikes on southern Lebanon caused around 500 fatalities, including approximately 100 women and children, and resulted in around 1,650 injuries, as reported by Lebanon's health ministry.
The intensifying crisis has prompted Hezbollah to conduct regular rocket assaults on Israel in support of the Palestinians in Gaza. Tensions have escalated since August due to Hezbollah's response to the death of its senior leader, Faud Shukr, by Israel. On Sunday, Hezbollah launched more than 100 missiles, alleging that Israel was responsible for a series of explosions in Lebanon aimed against its members.
Notwithstanding diplomatic initiatives, Israel asserts that halting Hezbollah's assaults has been challenging, and military authorities have indicated that an extensive aerial operation is under progress, although a land invasion is not forthcoming. Netanyahu implored Lebanese citizens to vacate regions next to Hezbollah activities, alleging that the armed organization employs them as human shields.
Simultaneously, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian cautioned that Israel's actions might result in "irreversible consequences" in the Middle East. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres articulated profound apprehension regarding the intensifying violence and urged diplomatic initiatives to avert additional bloodshed. Josep Borrell, the European Union's foreign affairs leader, and U.S. President Joe Biden expressed similar apprehensions, cautioning that the region is on the verge of a full-scale conflict.
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