Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged the people of Lebanon to “get out of harm’s way now,” during some of the heaviest cross-border exchanges of fire between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.
After almost a year of war against Hamas in Gaza on its southern border, Israel is shifting its focus to its northern frontier, from where Hezbollah has been firing rockets into Israel in support of its ally Hamas.
Israel’s military on Monday struck Hezbollah in Lebanon’s south, eastern Bekaa valley and northern region near Syria in its most widespread strikes.
Lebanon’s health minister said 274 people were killed, including 21 children and 39 women, and 1,024 were wounded in Israel’s strikes in what one Lebanese official said was the highest death toll since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war.
Hezbollah fired hundreds of rockets into Israel, causing damage but not casualties.
In an earlier statement, Netanyahu said Israel faced “complicated days” as it stepped up attacks in southern Lebanon and called on Israelis to stay united as the campaign unfolded.
The fighting has raised fears that the U.S., Israel’s close ally, and Iran will be sucked into a wider Middle East war.
