Lebanese authorities believe 100 people were killed in Israeli air strikes

MARJAYOUN, Lebanon (AP) — Israeli strikes killed more than 180 Lebanese on Monday, the deadliest attack since the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, while the Israeli military warned residents in southern and eastern Lebanon to leave their homes ahead of an escalating air offensive against Hezbollah.

Thousands of Lebanese fled the south, and the main highway out of the southern port city of Sidon was clogged with cars heading to Beirut, the biggest exodus since fighting began in 2006. More than 700 other people were injured in the attacks – a staggering number of people killed in one day for a country still reeling from the aftermath of a deadly attack on communications equipment last week.

The government ordered the closure of schools and universities in large parts of the country on Tuesday and began preparing accommodation for displaced people from the south.

The Israeli military said it hit about 300 targets on Monday, all of which were Hezbollah weapons depots. Some attacks hit residential areas in southern towns and the eastern Bekaa Valley. One attack hit a forest area in central Lebanon, more than 130 kilometers from the border north of Beirut.

The military said it would expand airstrikes to areas of the valley along Lebanon’s eastern border with Syria. Hezbollah has had a long-standing presence there, having been established in 1982 with the help of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari reiterated the warnings and called on the population to immediately evacuate areas where Hezbollah stores weapons, including the valley.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah said in a statement that it had fired dozens of rockets at an Israeli military base in the Galilee and targeted the facilities of Haifa-based defense company Rafael for the second day in a row.

While Israel was carrying out the attacks, Israeli authorities reported a series of air raid sirens in northern Israel warning of rocket fire from Lebanon.

The evacuation warnings were the first of their kind in nearly a year constantly escalating conflict and came after a particularly heavy exchange of fire on Sunday. Hezbollah fired around 150 rockets, missiles and drones at northern Israel in retaliation for attacks in which a top commander and dozens of fighters.

There were no signs of an immediate exodus from villages in southern Lebanon, and the warning left open the possibility that some residents might be living in or near the affected buildings without knowing they were at risk.

The increasing attacks and counterattacks have raised fears of a full-scale war, although Israel is still fighting Hamas in Gaza and is trying to release numerous hostages that in the Hamas attack on 7 OctoberHezbollah has said it will continue its attacks in solidarity with the Palestinians and Hamas, a militant group also backed by Iran. Israel says it is determined to restore calm to its northern border.

Associated Press journalists in southern Lebanon reported heavy air strikes on Monday morning in numerous areas, including some far from the border.

The Lebanese state news agency said the strikes hit a forested area in the central province of Byblos, about 130 kilometers north of the Israeli-Lebanese border, for the first time since attacks began in October. No casualties were reported there. Israel also bombed targets in the northeastern regions of Baalbek and Hermel, where a shepherd was killed and two family members injured, the news agency said. In total, 30 people were injured in the attacks.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry put the death toll at 182. It asked hospitals in southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley to postpone operations that could be performed later. The ministry said in a statement that the request was aimed at keeping hospitals ready to treat people injured by “Israel’s increasing aggression against Lebanon.”

An Israeli military official said Israel was focusing on air operations and had no immediate plans for a ground operation. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with regulations, said the strikes were aimed at limiting Hezbollah’s ability to launch further attacks on Israel.

Lebanese media reported that residents had received text messages asking them to stay away from all buildings where Hezbollah stores weapons until further notice.

“If you are in a building where Hezbollah weapons are stored, leave the village until further notice,” the Arab embassy said, according to Lebanese media.

Lebanese Information Minister Ziad Makary said in a statement that his office in Beirut received a recorded message asking people to leave the building.

“This is part of the psychological war being waged by the enemy,” Makary said, urging people “not to give the matter more attention than it deserves.”

It was not immediately clear how many people would be affected by the Israeli orders. Communities on both sides of the border have largely emptied due to the almost daily exchanges of fire.

Israel accuses Hezbollah of turning entire communities in the south into militant bases with hidden rocket launchers and other infrastructure, which could prompt the Israeli military to launch a particularly heavy bombing campaign even if ground troops do not intervene.

The military said it had attacked more than 150 militant positions early Monday. Residents of several villages in southern Lebanon posted photos of airstrikes and large clouds of smoke on social media. The state news agency also reported airstrikes on various areas.

An Israeli airstrike on a Beirut suburb on Friday killed a senior Hezbollah military commander and more than a dozen fighters, as well as dozens of civilians, including women and children.

Last week, thousands of communications devices used primarily by Hezbollah members were exploded in various parts of LebanonThirty-nine people were killed and nearly 3,000 injured. Lebanon blamed Israel for the attacks, but Israel neither confirmed nor denied responsibility.

A day after the October 7 attack, Hezbollah began firing into Israel, saying it was an attempt to get Israeli forces to support Palestinian fighters in Gaza. Israel responded with airstrikes, and the conflict has steadily escalated over the past year.

Hundreds of people have died in the fighting in Lebanon and dozens in Israel. Tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border have had to flee their homes. In addition, bush fires have broken out, destroying agriculture and disfiguring the landscape.

Israel has promised to push Hezbollah back from the border so that its citizens can return to their homes. It would prefer to do this through diplomatic means, but is prepared to use force. Hezbollah has said it will continue its attacks until there is a ceasefire in Gaza, but which seems increasingly difficult to grasp as the anniversary of the war approaches.

On October 7, Hamas-led militants entered southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting about 250. About 100 prisoners remain in Gaza, a third of whom are believed dead, after most of the rest were released during a week-long ceasefire in November.

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, over 41,000 Palestinians were killed in the Israeli offensive. The ministry makes no distinction between civilians and fighters in its count. Just over half of those killed were women and children. Israel claims to have killed over 17,000 militants, but provides no evidence.

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Lidman reported from Jerusalem and Mroue from Beirut. Associated Press writer Abby Sewell in Beirut contributed to this report.

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