TThousands of people continued to flee South Lebanon after Israeli airstrikes hit 1,300 locations on Monday, killing at least 492 people. It was the deadliest day in Lebanon since the country’s 1975-1990 civil war.
Israel and Hezbollah traded strikes again on Tuesday. Israeli military officials said they carried out dozens of airstrikes against Hezbollah, and the militant group said it fired missiles overnight at eight locations in Israel, including an explosives factory 37 kilometers from the border.
The death toll has risen to 558 people in Lebanon since Monday, with 1,835 injured, according to Lebanon’s Health Minister Firass Abiad.
No Israeli deaths have been reported since Monday. But two Israeli soldiers were killed and nine others wounded by a Hezbollah missile and gunfire on September 19, according to the Times of Israel.
Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have escalated after twin attacks last Tuesday and Wednesday that blew up thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah members across Lebanon. The attack killed at least 39 people and injured 3,000, according to Reuters. Although Israel has not confirmed or claimed responsibility, media accounts and security officials blame Tel Aviv.
Read more: Fear Grips Lebanon After Deadly Pager and Radio Explosives
Israel and Hezbollah have been engaged in almost daily firefights since October 2023, when Hezbollah fired rockets into the northern region of Israel, after the Oct. 7 Hamas. The border fire has displaced tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border.
But the scale and magnitude of Israel’s attacks this past week have raised fears of a full-blown conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that could spill over into Iran, and US Defense Secretary Yoav Gallant said Monday it marked a “higher level” in the fighting.
On the same day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Lebanese citizens to leave the South in a video message in English. “As of this morning, the IDF has warned you to stay away from danger. I urge you to take this warning seriously,” he said.
Main roads to the north of Lebanon remained closed on Tuesday as families tried to flee amid ongoing Israeli strikes. “I took all the important documents and we left. Strikes around us. It was very scary,” said Abed Afou, a father of two children in an interview and Reuters.
As of writing, temporary shelters have been set up in schools and other public places to house the tens of thousands who have been displaced. The shelters have a capacity of 26,000 people, said Nasser Yassin, the Lebanese minister in charge of the situation, told Reuters.
Meanwhile, hotels in the capital Beirut are now at capacity while many in Lebanon are offering empty houses or rooms, ITV News reported.
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