Hundreds of Lebanese displaced as Israeli airstrikes target homes, killing 274, injuring 1024

Monday saw a major escalation in Israel’s offensive against Lebanon as homes in villages throughout the south became the target of a wave of hundreds of airstrikes across the southern and western Beqaa. The Lebanese Health Ministry said on Monday afternoon that 274 people were killed and over 1,000 were injured by the bombardment.

Roads leading from the south to Beirut were gridlocked as hundreds of families sought to flee danger, fixing bags of belongings to the top of their vehicles and heading to the capital and other areas further north.

Many had received recorded phone messages instructing them to evacuate. The calls, reported by several citizens in the south, came from a Lebanese number that played a recorded voice message in Arabic ordering them to immediately evacuate 1,000 meters away from any post “used by Hezbollah.”

Mada Masr reviewed a copy of the message delivered to a citizen in the Borj al-Shemali area, a village to the south of Sur, ordering them not to return to these areas until further notice.

The evacuation calls even reached Lebanese caretaker government Information Minister Ziad al-Makary in west Beirut’s Hamra street, who issued a statement to affirm that work was ongoing in the ministry’s office despite the Israeli threats, which he called "psychological warfare.”

Homes were singled out as a target, with Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee claiming in a statement on Monday morning  that Hezbollah was “hiding weapons” in households.

More than 300 sites were targeted in Lebanon through fire jet raids since Monday morning, the Israeli military said, claiming that these raids were carried “in anticipation of” Hezbollah carrying out large airstrikes on Israel. 

As the displaced headed north, traffic has throttled the entrances to the city of Saida on the Mediterranean coast, according to a Mada Masr correspondent in the area. The city’s streets and squares were flooded with cars, making it difficult for ambulances to transport the wounded to hospitals.

Caretaker Lebanese Education Minister Abbas Halabi issued a decision on Monday afternoon for schools to be opened to receive and host the displaced. Schools in the Mount Lebanon region, namely Chouf, Aley and Baabda, began to receive those arriving.

While daily airstrikes continue to pound the Gaza Strip, Israel has identified the war to its north as its current priority. "We are deepening our attacks in Lebanon, the sequence of operations continues, and will continue until we achieve our goal of returning the residents of the north safely to their homes," Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Monday.

The escalation began last week with detonations over two consecutive days of explosives concealed in thousands of pagers and wireless mobile devices distributed to members of Hezbollah and Hezbollah-linked institutions. At least 20 people were killed in the explosions, which left thousands with life-changing injuries. 

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah gave a public address in the wake of the explosions, acknowledging that it was a heavy blow to the group while insisting that its fighters would continue to battle Israel on its northern border until a ceasefire is achieved in Gaza.

The explosions were followed by an Israeli airstrike on a residential building in the Dahiyeh suburb of Beirut on Friday, killing two senior Hezbollah commanders, Ibrahim Aqil and Ahmed Mahmoud Wehbe as well as 54 others. Sixty-six people were wounded. Lebanon’s civil defense agency said on Monday that it was continuing search operations for five people still missing after the airstrike.

Hezbollah, for its part, has stepped up its attacks on Israeli targets in the following days, launching heavier missiles known as Fadi-1 and Fadi-2 rockets on sites in Israel, including Haifa. 

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati stated on Monday that he is calling on the UN, the Security Council, as well as active states, to stand with justice and stop Israel’s aggression. 

Mikati also called on Monday for Hezbollah to cease all attacks immediately and on Israel to stop its offensive.

The prime minister stressed Lebanon’s commitment to UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which makes provisions for the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon and a restriction on the deployment of troops south of the Litani river to only the UN Interim Force in Lebanon and the Lebanese Armed Forces. Hezbollah has vowed not to cease their operations as long as Israel occupies Lebanon. Israel continues to occupy the village of Ghajar, Shebaa Farms and the hills around Kfarchouba. 

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed concerns on Monday about the scale of the escalation, warning against the potential of Lebanon turning into another Gaza, a scenario he called “a devastating tragedy for the world.”