Israeli strikes on south Lebanon and Bekaa: Nearly 500 dead and tens of thousands displaced: Day 353 of the Gaza war

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"The offensive operation" against Hezbollah was named "Northern Arrows," the Israeli army announced, quoted by Haaretz.

King Abdullah II of Jordan expressed his country's "absolute support for Lebanon, its security, its sovereignty and the safety of its citizens in the face of the war waged by Israel," according to a statement released by his press office.

In a phone call with caretaker Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, he warned of the "seriousness of the Israeli escalation, stressing the need for concerted international efforts to stop it before dragging the region into a full-scale regional war."

King Abdullah stressed that "de-escalation in the region begins with an immediate end to the war on Gaza."

Caretaker Justice Minister Henri Khoury and the President of the Supreme Judicial Council, Judge Souheil Abboud, announced in a statement the suspension of work in courts and judicial departments in all courthouses in Lebanon on Tuesday, "with the exception of cases deemed necessary and urgent."

The death toll from today's Israeli strikes on the Bekaa and South Lebanon has risen to 492 dead and 1,645 injured, according to a statement from the Health Ministry.

Among the dead were 35 children and 58 women.

Israeli jets launched three heavy airstrikes on the outskirts of Shtaura (Zahle).

Ambulances were dispatched to the scene. 

According to L'Orient Today's correspondent in Bekaa, the death toll from the 16 strikes that targeted the town of Khodor (Rachaya district) has risen to 14, with four more killed.

The town of Jlala (Zahle) was also targeted by the Israeli army. It adds that an entire family died in Bodai in a strike that targeted the town earlier and that bombings continue on several towns in the east of the Baalbeck district.

Further north, the town of Nabi Osman was also targeted by two strikes.

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, defended Israel's recent deadly bombings in several areas of Lebanon.

“Hezbollah exercises extensive control over Lebanon’s territory, governance and infrastructure and has transformed large areas of the country into a terrorist military base. It has stockpiled hundreds of thousands of rockets, missiles, precision munitions and other weapons, which it has placed behind a vast network of human shields, including placing countless projectiles ready to be launched into homes and civilian buildings across the country,” the senator said.

"The Israeli government has the right and obligation to respond and protect the Israeli people, and it is imperative that the Biden-Harris administration reverse its policy of equating Israel with Hezbollah," he continued in a statement.

The Israeli army said it eliminated "a large number" of Hezbollah members in strikes in Lebanon on Monday, AFP reports.

The Arabic-language spokesperson for the Israeli army, Avichay Adraee, posted on X what he presents as photos of missiles belonging to Hezbollah and hidden in the attic of a house in Houmine al-Tahta (Nabatieh).

"Photos show that Hezbollah is deliberately hiding long-range missiles, capable of traveling thousands of kilometers, in the attic of a house in the heart of the village of Houmine al-Tahta, in southern Lebanon," Adraee wrote. "According to the images, the missile is stored on a hydraulic system, ready to be launched through an opening in the roof toward Israel. On the first floor, a Lebanese family lives, serving as a human shield."

Israeli strikes continue in south Lebanon and the Bekaa, according to L'Orient Today's correspondents in these two regions.

In south Lebanon, Israeli aircraft bombed Kounin (Bint Jbeil), Khiam (Marjayoun), Ebba (Nabatieh), Burj Rahhal (Sour), Ebbam Houmine al-Faouqa, Ain Bouswar (Nabatieh) and Iqlim al-Touffah (Jezzine), without further details.

In the Bekaa, an ambulance of Hezbollah's Islamic Health Committee was targeted in the Hermel district, but its occupants escaped. Strikes also targeted Bodai, Shaat and Baalbeck, then the road linking Rayak to Baalbeck.

A child was also admitted to Baalbeck Hospital without his parents, who are missing.

The Hamas media office in Lebanon said in a statement that the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian movement, does not operate any Lebanese channel dedicated to its activities on Telegram and that the channel named "Qassam Brigades – Lebanon" on Telegram is a fake.

The Rissala Scouts Association, affiliated with the Amal Movement, announced the death of one of its members, Mohammad Taha Faouzallah, originally from Msayleh (Saida), born in 2000 and who died on a mission in south Lebanon.

In a response to L'Orient Today, the spokesperson for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, Andrea Tenenti, denied information posted on social networks according to which the Irish contingent had been ordered by the Israeli army to leave south Lebanon to relocate to Cyprus.

"The information circulating is not true. The mission is still active and deployed in southern Lebanon. All 10,500 peacekeepers from 49 countries are present and operational in southern Lebanon," Andrea Tenenti said.

The Free Patriotic Movement said in a statement that Israel had "suddenly revealed its intentions towards Lebanon" and called on the international community to put an end to the massive bombings by Israel that targeted several parts of Lebanon on Monday.

"The airstrikes on vast areas from the south to the Bekaa, through Mount Lebanon and the suburbs of Beirut, which left hundreds dead and thousands injured, have exceeded all limits and made the world face up to its responsibilities to stop the ongoing crime," the party said. It also rejected Tel Aviv's position that "wrongly considers that Israel's northern border reaches the Litani River," which crosses the Bekaa and whose mouth is north of Sour, in southern Lebanon.

Israeli strikes also continue in south Lebanon this evening:

- Homes in Rihan (Jezzine) and Kfar Hammam (Hasbaya) were bombed.

- The villages of Khiam, Blat (Marjayoun), Mansouri and Qleileh (Sour), Tebnin and Bint Jbeil (Bint Jbeil)

- An Israeli drone struck Burj Rahhal (Sour).

Many residents of south Lebanon have arrived in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

Among them is Sabine Daoui, who told L'Orient Today that she left Jezzine for Haret Hreik because "it was impossible to stay in the south."

“I know that Dahyeh is not a safe place, but in the south, bombs were falling all around us,” she said. “I took my little brother, and now we are with our grandparents in Beirut.”

Israeli attacks continue to pound the Bekaa: Ain Borday, the Jalil camp in Baalbeck, Labbaya, Nabi Osman, Taraya, Ras al-Ein, Hazerta (Zahleh) ... A family was killed in one of the attacks on the Baalbeck region, reports L'Orient Today's correspondent.

Photo sent by a traveler at Beirut airport to L'Orient Today

One of the departure halls of Beirut airport was completely deserted on Monday, Sept. 23, 2024.

Many airlines have canceled their flights due to the security situation in Lebanon.

Hezbollah announces that "Commander Ali Karaki is doing well and has been transferred to a safe location."

The party said it issued the statement "in response to the allegations of the Zionist enemy regarding the assassination" of Karaki in a drone strike earlier in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

10 people were killed in an Israeli attack on two homes in Taraya, near Baalbeck, reports L'Orient Today's correspondent.

The village of Hellanieh was also attacked (Baalbeck).

According to two sources at Beirut airport, Turkish Airlines has canceled its flights scheduled for Sept. 24 and 25.

The death toll from today's Israeli strikes on the Bekaa and South Lebanon has risen to 356 dead and 1,246 wounded, according to a statement from the Health Ministry. Among the dead are 24 children and 42 women.

"In response to some rumors circulating on social media and websites," the municipality of Fneidek al-Kamoua, in Akkar, issued a statement in which it confirmed "the absence of any military or non-military activity by any armed faction in the region," and affirmed that the village and its neighboring municipalities "are under the authority of the Lebanese state represented by the Lebanese army and the internal security forces."

According to L'Orient Today's correspondent in Bekaa, new Israeli airstrikes took place in the vicinity of Hermel.

While Israel is today pounding south Lebanon and the Bekaa with an intensity never seen since the start of its clashes with Hezbollah on Oct. 8, 2023, its army also bombed that same day sites located outside these two regions, where the party is strongly established, marking another first in this conflict.

However, a strong explosion was also filmed by Lebanese media in the heights of the town of Qartaba (Jbeil), around 50 kilometers north of Beirut.

"More than 1,100 targets and more than 1,400 types of ammunition have been targeted in recent hours," Israeli army Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee told X.

"Warplanes and drones from all air force bases took off and carried out, in the last 24 hours, about 650 rounds of attack with the aim of eliminating threats," he added, saying that these raids targeted buildings, cars and infrastructure in which "missiles, missile launchers and booby-trapped drones" were located.

The air force "continues to carry out raids on hundreds of targets in Lebanon," said Adraee.

"We will not remain indifferent and we will stand alongside the Palestinian and Lebanese people," said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah during consultations on the security situation, as quoted by Israeli channel N12News: "Everyone is in the firing line," he said of him.

The United States asked Israel over the weekend to take steps to ensure the safety of Americans in Lebanon if the U.S. must evacuate its citizens, Axios reported, citing two Israeli officials and a U.S. official.

The Israeli army claims that "210 rockets" were fired from Lebanon into Israel on Monday, Haaretz reports.

"We have launched a proactive operation targeting the combat [Hezbollah] infrastructure built over the past 20 years. This is very significant," said Israeli army commander Herzi Halevi, quoted by Haaretz.

"We are striking targets and preparing for the next phases," he continued in a statement, without giving details but adding that he would "specify shortly." 

An Israeli airstrike targeted the village of Ansar, near the Dar al-Amal hospital, according to L'Oient Today's correspondent in Bekaa.

According to the state-run National News Agency (NNA), three missiles struck Bir al-Abed, in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

Volunteers unload mattresses for refugees who fled south Lebanon, at an art institute converted into a shelter, in Beirut, Sept. 23, 2024. (Credit: Fadel Itani/AFP)

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant assessed the situation at the Israeli military's Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv, saying at the end of the meeting that the Israeli military had "destroyed what Hezbollah had built over 20 years."

Gallant said Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was left alone, with entire units of his elite Radwan Force having their equipment removed and tens of thousands of rockets destroyed.

Alarm sirens sounded in central Haifa and its suburbs, Haaretz reported.

L'Orient Today's correspondent reported heavy rocket fire from south Lebanon towards Israel.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is alarmed by the escalating situation in Lebanon and deeply concerned by the high number of civilian casualties reported by Lebanese authorities, his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.

U.S. President Joe Biden said he will discuss with his Emirati counterpart efforts to de-escalate the situation in Lebanon, Reuters reports.

Update on the latest attacks targeting south Lebanon and the Bekaa:

- Israeli jets carried out two strikes targeting Sohmor in the Bekaa.

- Homes were targeted in Qalaya, in the western Bekaa.

- Strikes targeted Borj Qalaouieh and Srifa, in south Lebanon.

- A strike targeted the southern entrance to Baalbeck, causing a major fire.

- Four Israeli jets carried out a strike targeting a house in Jermash, the northeastern border with Syria, targeting an area between the regions of Aqroum and Wadi Khaled.

- Israeli planes targeted a house in Dalafeh (Hasbaya) which was completely destroyed. The owner of the house was killed and his daughter were seriously injured, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent.

According to residents, the Israeli strike on Bir el-Abed left three dead.

The United States will send additional troops to the Middle East amid rising tensions, Haaretz reports, citing the Pentagon.

A source close to Hezbollah told AFP that "an Israeli drone targeted a Hezbollah official," in a strike on Beirut's southern suburbs.

This is the second time since Friday that Israel has targeted Beirut. Search and rescue operations are still ongoing at the site of Friday's bombing, which killed more than 50 people, including 15 commanders from Hezbollah's elite Radwan Forces, as well as the unit's leader and one other high-ranking official. 

Read a recap of Friday's events here. 👈

In Bir al-Abed, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Hezbollah members are going from house to house calling on residents to immediately evacuate their homes.

“A Hezbollah member, barely 20 years old, knocked on my door and told me: leave immediately,” Salwa Jawad, a resident of Bir el-Abed, told L'Orient Today.

Families are rushing out of their buildings, many have already packed their suitcases.

In a statement to the Lebanese, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “Hezbollah has long used you as human shields. It has placed rockets in your living rooms and missiles in your garages. These rockets and missiles are aimed directly at our cities and our citizens.”

"To defend our people against Hezbollah's strikes, we must get rid of these weapons. Since this morning, the Israeli army has been asking you to take cover," Netanyahu also stressed.

He added: “I urge you to take this warning seriously. Do not let Hezbollah endanger your lives and the lives of your loved ones. Do not let Hezbollah endanger Lebanon. Please take cover now. Once our operation is over, you will be able to return home safely.”

Alarm sirens sounded in northern Israel, near the West Bank, according to Haaretz.

The Israeli military said the target of its attack on Beirut's southern suburbs was Ali Karaki, commander of Hezbollah's southern front.

In September 2019, the United States announced financial sanctions against Ali Karaki. Karaki is a "senior member of Hezbollah's Jihad Council," the State Department said at the time, adding that he is responsible for military operations in south Lebanon.

The death toll from Friday's Israeli strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut has risen to 55, according to the Civil Defense.

Four people are still missing.

People stuck in traffic while fleeing the city of Saida in south Lebanon, Sept. 23, 2024. (Credit: Mahmoud Zayyat/AFP)

A medical source told L'Orient Today's correspondent in the south that Sheikh Hussein Nader, a leader in the Civil Defense affiliated with the Amal Movement, the al-Rissala Scouts, was killed in an Israeli airstrike that targeted his house in the Hayadra neighborhood of Jdeidet Marjeyoun.

The president of the Order of Pharmacists, Joe Salloum, specified in a press release that "medications for chronic diseases remain available in factories and company warehouses for a period of approximately six months."

"We are putting in place a plan that will allow us to get them to all pharmacies and hospitals, even if the roads are closed," he added.

The United Nations Resident Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon, Omran Reza, will meet with Prime Minister Najib Mikati tomorrow, Tuesday, at the Grand Serail at 9 a.m.

Mikati will then receive, at 10 a.m., France's special emissary for Lebanon, Jean-Yves Le Drian, who has just arrived in Beirut.

The government will meet at 11 a.m. to consider "current developments."

A strong explosion was observed and filmed by Lebanese media in the mountains of the village of Kartaba (Jbeil).

Contacted by L'Orient Today, the president of the municipal council of Kartaba, Fadi Martinos, confirmed that a strong explosion shook the place, without being able to determine whether it was a missile or a shell, or whether it was a targeted bombing or an accident.

According to him, this road leads to several villages with a majority. If this is indeed a targeted bombing, it would be the first time that Israel has targeted this village since the beginning of this war, which began in October 2023.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for a series of attacks on Israeli positions:

- Hezbollah bombed the Ramat David base and airport with dozens of rockets, near Haifa.

- It also targeted, for the second time today, "the military industrial complex of the Rafael company" located north of Haifa, using dozens of rockets.

- The party again targeted the main warehouses in the northern region in the Nimra base, one of the main bases in northern Israel, with dozens of rockets.

- It also bombed the headquarters of the Northern Corps at the Ein Zeitim base with dozens of rockets.

The Ramat David base and the Rafael compound had already been hit by Hezoollah rockets on Sunday.

The Israeli military claimed that 165 rockets were fired at Israel from Lebanon today.

Motorists inline to fill up with gasoline in Mansourieh (Metn), Sept. 23, 2024. (Credit: PHB)

Lines have formed outside gas stations in several regions of Lebanon.

The Fuel Importers Association told our publication that there is no fuel shortage, noting that a shipment of fuel, which arrived in Lebanon today, has been unloaded.

The Civil Defense said in a statement issued shortly after 5 p.m. that it had helped extinguish fires in 20 houses and a burning factory, as well as 10 fires of dry grass in the Tyre region, eight fires in houses and warehouses in the Bekaa, 50 fires in houses and factories and three in shops in Nabatieh.

The Civil Defense also said it removed the bodies of 33 people killed under the rubble and transported two injured people to a hospital in the Sour district.

In the Nabatieh district, rescuers pulled out 25 dead from under the rubble and transported 25 wounded to hospitals. Also in Nabatieh, the Civil Defense conducted 12 operations to assess the damage.

Israeli airstrikes targeted the villages of Houmin al-Faouqa, Arab Salim (Nabatieh), Iqlim al-Touffah and Deir Qatine (Jezzine), according to L'Orient Today's correspondent in the south.

According to L'Orient Today's correspondent in the Bekaa, the Israeli airstrikes targeted the villages of Hazerta (Zahleh), Shmistar (Baalbeck), Bodaï, Iyat, Safri, Saal, Baadnayel, Douris, Beit Shama and an area between Sohmor and Lake Qaroun (western Bekaa).

Commenting on the activation of alarm sirens in the West Bank, the Israeli army claimed that ten rockets were launched from Lebanon and that some fell in open areas.

The Golan Regional Council reported power outages in the northern Israeli towns of Odem and Trump Heights following rocket fire from Lebanon.

France's special envoy for Lebanon, Jean-Yves Le Drian, arrived in Beirut.

His visit was already planned before the escalation of violence between Israel and Hezbollah on Monday and aims to relaunch the presidential election in the country, without a head of state for almost two years.

Sirens are sounding throughout the Haifa area, Haaretz reports.

The head of the Higher Relief Committee, Mohammad Kheir, stated, after a tour of the site of the Israeli strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Friday, that he was working, in cooperation with the municipality of Haret Hreik, to prepare files for all those affected by this strike, which will be presented to the caretaker government at the first opportunity.

He assured that "the state remains at the side of all aggrieved citizens, within the limits of its means." 

Further escalation in Lebanon would have "devastating" regional consequences, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said.

"Any further escalation of this dangerous situation could have profound and devastating consequences, not only for those living on both sides of the Blue Line but for the entire region," the peacekeeping force said, referring to the U.N.-drawn demarcation line between Lebanon and Israel.

The Israeli military claimed that jets attacked around 800 Hezbollah targets in the Bekaa and south Lebanon.

According to the military, the targets included missiles, launchers, drones and buildings where Hezbollah hid rockets.

According to Health Minister Firas Abiad, the new death toll from today's Israeli strikes on the Bekaa and south Lebanon has risen to 274 killed and 1,024 injured.

At a press conference, Abiad asked Lebanese hospitals, particularly in the south and in the Bekaa, to stop admitting non-urgent cases and to reserve themselves for the wounded in case of a widening of the conflict. As for the displaced, he stressed that the emergency plan has been activated, with a toll-free number of 1474.

There will also be mobile teams from the ministry to monitor the situation of the displaced throughout Lebanon, he continued. He called on all countries that can help to do so.

Alarms sounded in eastern Tel Aviv for the first time since the start of the conflict.

Here are the latest developments in south Lebanon:

- An Israeli strike targeted the towns of Khodor and Brital (Baalbeck).

- A Lebanese Civil Defense ambulance caught fire after being hit by an Israeli strike in the village of Doueir, in south Lebanon.

- An ambulance of the Civil Defense affiliated with the Amal movement, the al-Rissala scouts, also caught fire following a strike in the village of Sohmor, in the Bekaa.

Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian accused Israel of seeking to "expand" the conflict in the Middle East, stressing that this would "benefit no one" and insisting that Tehran is not seeking to "destabilize" the region.

"We know better than anyone that if a bigger war were to break out in the Middle East, it would benefit no one in the world. It is Israel that is seeking to widen this conflict," he said in New York during a roundtable with journalists on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly where speeches by heads of state and government begin on Tuesday.

In response to the Israeli attacks on the south and the Bekaa, Hezbollah claimed to have bombarded the headquarters of the missile and artillery battalion in the Yoav barracks with dozens of rockets.

The party also targeted major warehouses in the northern region at the Nimra base with dozens of rockets. 

Alarm sirens sounded in the Haifa suburbs, Haaretz reported.

The press office of the caretaker telecommunications minister, Johnny Corm, announced that "there is no violation of the official telecommunications network by Israel, and that the messages received by the Lebanese in different regions are only camouflages and fraud operations carried out through electronic applications that do not require high technologies to penetrate the network."

In a statement released by the state-run National News Agency (NNA), Corm stressed that "the Ministry of Telecommunications is working to resolve this problem by moving the IP systems currently used to the TDM system, which is less susceptible to flaws and more controllable.

"The ministry adjusted the fixed network, knowing that the telecommunications system in Lebanon is already designed to prevent the reception of any calls coming from Israel and that the Israeli code is prohibited in the Lebanese network."

Caretaker Lebanese Health Minister Firas Abiad announced the closure of daycare centers across the country on Tuesday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel faces "complicated days" as it steps up strikes against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

"I promised that we would change the balance of security, the balance of power in the north and that is exactly what we are doing," he said in a message released following an assessment of the situation at army headquarters, according to comments reported by Reuters.

He also called on Israelis to remain united in this campaign.

Alarm sirens sounded in towns and villages near Haifa in northern Israel, including Yokneam Ilit, Daliat al-Carmel and Isfiya, Haaretz reports.

A few minutes later, sirens also sounded throughout the Galilee region.

The U.N. said on Monday it was "extremely concerned" by the escalation of violence between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, saying that this spiral "must stop."

"We are extremely concerned, deeply worried about the escalation in Lebanon," Ravina Shamdasani, a spokesperson for the U.N. human rights office, told AFP.

"The attacks that we have seen on communications devices, pagers, followed by attacks and rocket attacks between the two sides ... mark a real escalation," she said.

"What we have been warning about from the beginning, namely the regional spillover of the conflict, it seems that the actions and rhetoric of the parties are taking the conflict to another level," she stressed.

The spokesperson noted that almost the entire international community "is calling for de-escalation ... This must stop."

Hamas on Monday condemned deadly Israeli strikes targeting its ally Hezbollah in Lebanon , calling them "barbaric aggression."

"This barbaric large-scale aggression is a war crime," it said in a statement, stressing its "solidarity ... with [our] brothers in Hezbollah and the brotherly Lebanese people."

After issuing an evacuation order to the inhabitants of the Bekaa, the Israeli army has once again launched a salvo of strikes on several villages in the region.

According to security sources cited by L'Orient Today's correspondent, these strikes targeted:

- Sohmor factories, causing at least one death.

- A house in Labbaya.

- A gas station in Yohmor, killing five people.

- An area between Aïn Tineh and Mashghara.

- An area between Qaraoun and Majdal Balahes.

Heavy traffic jams during the day at the northern exit of Saida as local officials and our correspondent on the ground, Muntasser Abdallah, report that many Lebanese are fleeing southern Lebanon, which has been heavily bombarded by the Israeli army s

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The toll from the various waves of Israeli strikes on south Lebanon and the Bekaa has risen again to 182 dead and 727 injured, according to the Ministry of Health.

This morning, Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, said in a statement on his X account that Israel does not seek war.

"I repeat and reiterate: Israel does not seek war. But we have the right and the duty to defend our people," he said.

He also shared a video showing many Lebanese southern villages and said: "Here’s just an example of the threat we face. This Israeli army video shows how Hezbollah stores and launches missiles in civilian areas and homes. Thousands and thousands of long-range rockets are kept in houses, living rooms, bedrooms, and kitchens, and then launched with the sole intention of killing our people."

Lebanon's caretaker Minister of Economy, Amin Salam, stated that he received a "suspicious letter, the origin of which is unknown," in his office.

He added in a statement that the relevant security authorities have been contacted to verify the content of the letter and its source, without providing further details.

Hezbollah members are knocking on the doors of residents in the Nabatieh district asking them to immediately leave, a resident of Tool told L'Orient Today. She left her house in her home slippers along with her 11-year-old son.

In a message similar to those regularly addressed to Gaza residents, accompanied by a map, the Arabic-speaking spokesperson of the Israeli army, Avichay Adraee, addressed the "inhabitants of the Bekaa" in Lebanon.

"Hezbollah is forcing the Israeli army to act against its terrorist infrastructure in your villages," he wrote. "If you are in or near a house containing Hezbollah weapons, you must leave and move away, within two hours, to a distance of at least 1 kilometer, and go to the nearest school," he warned. "Anyone near Hezbollah members, facilities, or weapons is endangering their life and that of their family."

According to Sky News Arabia, a French security and military delegation conveyed to Beirut an Israeli message that Tel Aviv does not want war. The delegation asked for pressure on Hezbollah to back down and accept a diplomatic solution.

The news channel added that a Turkish-Qatari intelligence delegation will visit Lebanon tomorrow to try to reach a solution and avoid war.

During a cabinet meeting held at the Grand Serail, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati addressed the escalating Israeli aggression affecting southern Lebanon, asserting that the government is dedicated to halting the renewed conflict. Mikati stated, "We are working to stop the renewed Israeli war and avoid falling into the unknown as much as possible," highlighting the urgency of the situation as airstrikes continue to impact civilian areas.

The cabinet convened with several ministers, including Deputy Prime Minister Saade al-Chami and caretaker Minister of Information Ziad Makari, to discuss the ongoing crisis and its implications. In light of the increasing casualties and displacement, the Prime Minister called for collective international efforts to pressure Israel to cease its attacks and adhere to U.N. resolutions.

Residents of Katzrin in northern Israel have been instructed to stay near shelters and avoid crowded places until further notice. They have also been advised to limit unnecessary travel within the town, according to Haaretz.

The Cabinet will meet tomorrow at 11 a.m. at the Grand Serail in Beirut, its General Secretariat announced, to discuss the "current developments." The convocation sent by the Serail calls on "all ministers to participate" in this meeting "in order to respond to the nation's call during these delicate circumstances."

Ministers affiliated with the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) have been boycotting all government meetings since the beginning of the presidential vacancy.

Education Minister told local TV channel al-Jadeed that “the situation is headed toward the worse and the role of the Education Ministry is to open up schools to host the displaced.”

“We are working on that now at the meeting of the Emergency Committee that is being held at the Serail,” he added.

New strikes have targeted, according to local sources for L'OLJ:

- Ebel al-Saqi, hit for the first time, in the Marjayoun district.

- Kfour and Kfarsir, in the Nabatieh district.

Caretaker Health Minister Firass Abiad will hold a press conference on Monday at 5:30 p.m. to provide an update on the developments of this deadly day, at the Ministry's headquarters.

The death toll from Friday's Israeli strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut, which targeted a meeting of Hezbollah's elite Radwan force leaders, has risen to 54, according to a new provisional report from the Ministry of Health. Five people remain missing, after it was determined that one previously reported missing was not in the building at the time of the strike.

Successive strikes targeted Bint Jbeil, specifically hitting a "religious complex" and a gas station.

Al Mayadeen lost touch with one group of their journalists who were covering the strikes in the south, a source at the channel told L'Orient Today.

Other strikes from the south according to residents:

* The Israeli army launched two airstrikes on the southern villages of Sharqiyeh and Habboush in the Nabatieh district.

* The Israeli army struck the outskirts of the village of Nmeirieh in the Nabatieh district.

The death toll from this morning's Israeli strikes has risen to 100 killed and more than 400 injured, according to the Ministry of Health.

As in its previous report, the ministry noted that women, children, and rescue workers are among the dead.

Lebanon received more than 80,000 suspected Israeli phone call attempts asking people to evacuate their areas, the head of telecoms company Ogero, Imad Kreidieh, told Reuters on Monday.

Such calls were "psychological warfare to make havoc and chaos," he added.

Dareen Hammoud, a high school student in Beirut's southern suburbs was inconsolable while talking to our reporter, "Can Israel stop its attacks? This morning my biggest fear was a chemistry exam that I had to study for and now I'm worried that I'm going to die."

Hammoud has been stuck in Rawdah High School, on the airport road, while waiting for her mother who is stuck in traffic as parents rush to pick up their children from school.

* The Israeli army struck the village of Sinai in the Nabatieh district multiple times in the same places with initial reports of many civilian casualties, according to residents in the village.

* A car and local shops were burnt in an airstrike on the road between Habboush and Arab Salim in the Nabatieh district

* The Israeli army struck two houses in the village of Ter Dibba and Wadi Jilo in the Sour district.

* Border villages such as Khiam, Maroun al-Ras, and Arnoun in the Bint Jbeil district were also struck.

* The village of Anqoun east of Saida was also struck, residents of the area told L'Orient-Le Jour.

* The Israeli army also struck the village of Sohmor in the Rashaya district in West Bekaa.

* A house was struck in Mseilih on the road between Zahrani and Nabatieh.

* Hezbollah announced that in response to Israeli attacks today they attacked the Israeli position of "Ameidat" and the military company Raphael, northern Haifa with "tens of rockets."

The Health Ministry announced that the continued Israeli airstrikes on southern towns and villages have resulted in an initial toll of 50 killed and more than 300 injured. Among those killed and injured are children and women.

The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, is starting an official visit to Israel today. She is scheduled to meet with senior Israeli officials to discuss the latest developments.

In a statement, the Special Coordinator emphasized that "there is no military solution that would make both sides safer. With the well-being of civilians on both sides of the Blue Line and the stability of the region at stake, diplomatic efforts must be given space to succeed."

"Today was very dramatic," Malak Hamdan, sixth-grade student at a school in Beirut's southern suburbs told L'Orient Today.

"Many students did not show up. The Kindergarten section was almost empty. We just hung out in class all day talking because our teacher was too stressed to teach us, then the principal came and told us to go to the playground which we did, and then my dad left work and came and picked me up. It wasn't scary but I'm scared of what could happen and I don't want to die."

Residents of several villages in Akkar, northern Lebanon, also received phone calls asking them to evacuate their homes, according to the National News Agency (NNA).

Israeli airstrikes have targeted multiple towns across southern Lebanon, many of which were struck for the first time since the escalation began, L'Orient Today's correspondent in the south reported. The strikes have hit areas in the Saida, Nabatieh, and Sour districts, causing significant damage and forcing residents to flee.

In the Saida district, the towns of Sarafand, Bablieh, the outskirts of Loubieh and Saksakiyeh, Arab al-Jal, Ghaziyeh, Kfarhatta, Msayleh, Kfarfila, and the area between Banaafoul and Anqoun were bombarded.

In the Nabatieh district, airstrikes targeted the valley between Habboush and Arabsalim, as well as Nabatieh al-Fawqa.

The Sour district was also heavily hit, with strikes on Burj al-Shamali, al-Masaken, al-Maashouk, the Italian-Lebanese Hospital, and Ter Debba.

Roads from southern Lebanon to Beirut are experiencing heavy traffic as Israeli airstrikes intensify. According to L'Orient Today's correspondent in the south, Saida is witnessing significant congestion due to the mass migration of residents from the south and the evacuation of school students returning to their homes in the area.

A resident of the village of Barish, in the Sour district, told L'Orient Today that he decided to move to his brother's house in Beirut due to the heavy strikes on his village. He added that most of the village's residents have also fled.

The toll from the Israeli attack, which struck a residential building in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Friday, has now risen to 54 killed and six missing, following the discovery of a new body under the rubble, according to a statement from the Civil Defense on Monday. The attack also resulted in 66 injuries.

Israeli airstrikes on several cities in southern Lebanon have killed one person and injured dozens of others, according to a series of statements from the Ministry of Health. Several injured individuals remain in critical condition as the airstrikes continue to hit civilian areas.

In the Hermel region, the Israeli strikes caused one death and six injuries, two of whom are currently in intensive care. The city of Aitaroun also reported a significant toll, with 11 injuries, including one in critical condition. Six others required hospitalization, while four were treated for minor injuries.

Additional strikes targeted Ainata (Bint Jbeil), where three people were injured, two of whom were hospitalized. In Tafahhta, one person sustained minor injuries, while 13 others suffered light injuries in the villages of Malikiya and Jabal al-Botom in the district of Sour.

A video, sent by our correspondent and filmed in Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil) after a series of Israeli strikes on Monday morning, shows two adjacent two-story buildings severely damaged by missiles from the Israeli army.

Another video taken in Mjadel (Sour) shows a villa on fire, with firefighters attempting to control the blaze.

A video provided to L’OLJ by residents in Ansar (Nabatieh) documents strikes conducted near residential areas.

In Bayyada (Sour), an Israeli strike was filmed near the coast, between the cities of Sour and Naqoura. Another video shot from the Sour beach shows a series of simultaneous strikes carried out in several villages in the region.

White smoke rising from a building can be seen in a video filmed after an air raid in the village of Kfar Hatta (Saida).

In Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil), a thick column of smoke was recorded by residents, as was the case in Msayleh (Saida).

The Ministry of Public Health has issued a statement requesting all hospitals in the South, Nabatieh and Baalbek-Hermel governorates to halt all non-urgent surgeries to accommodate the treatment of the wounded, due to the "ongoing escalation of the Israeli aggression on Lebanon."

(Credit: Tasnim Chaaban/L'Orient Today)

Testimony from Tasnim Chaaban, L'Orient Today journalist from Ansar, in the Nabatieh district:

We can hear incessant bombing around. Some further than others. But the last two were definitely in the village.

Earlier, there was very low plane flight, followed by a huge hit and more explosions. It was followed by ambulance sirens and another hit. I could hear kids screaming from the farming land across.

The German airline Sundair extended the suspension of its flights to Beirut until next Monday due to the security situation in Lebanon, a source at Beirut International Airport and another from a European travel agency told L'Orient-Le Jour.

Illustration by Jaimee Lee Haddad

The Ministry of Health reported that an Israeli strike this morning on the outskirts of Malkiyet al-Sahel and Jibal al-Botom (district of Sour) left 13 people slightly injured.

One person was slightly injured in this morning's Israeli strike on Tefahta, in the district of Saida, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. 

Following the phone call for his ministry to evacuate its offices in Hamra (Beirut) as soon as possible this morning, Information Minister Ziad Makari issued a statement in which he described the call as “customary psychological warfare by the Israeli enemy.” 

He assured that “work at the Ministry is continuing normally in all departments,” calling for “no attention to be paid to these calls that they do not deserve.”

The Lebanese Ministry of Culture in Beirut also received a call from a "person speaking Arabic with a Western accent," urging the evacuation of the offices as soon as possible "because they are targeted," according to the National News Agency. Several residents and administrations have received similar calls from supposed Israeli contacts since this morning.

According to our correspondent in the Bekaa, Israeli strikes also targeted Mashghara and the Sohmor heights.

⚡ A new round of Israeli strikes has been launched on villages in the South, according to our correspondent in the South, citing security sources and witnesses.

Among the dozen or so villages targeted, some were targeted for the first time, including Anqoun, Maghdoucheh, Bnaafoul and Jenjlaya in the Saida district.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health announced three injuries from the strike on Ainata (Bint Jbeil), two of whom required hospitalization.

According to witnesses cited by our correspondent in the South, an ambulance belonging to the Islamic al-Rissala Scouts was damaged in Ainata (Bint Jbeil district), in southern Lebanon, during a strike on the village.

According to the National News Agency (NNA), the office of caretaker Information Minister Ziad Makary also received a call in which an automated message urged him to evacuate the building.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, quoted in Haaretz, urged Israelis to "remain calm and disciplined and to follow the instructions of the Home Front Command" in Israel (passive defense), following the announcement of an expanded offensive in Lebanon.

An Israeli strike conducted this morning on Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil) resulted in 11 injuries, including one in intensive care. Six of the injured had to be hospitalized, while four were treated in the emergency room, according to the Ministry of Health.

After the missile fell in Ehmej, in the heights of Jbeil, residents spoke to L'OLJ:

Tony Abi Younes, a bakery owner in Ehmej, stated that the missile landed "in an agricultural area where apple trees and tobacco are grown." He also emphasized that "Hezbollah has no presence in this sector."

The owner of a ski equipment store explained that the missile fell in "a rocky and deserted area, accessible only on foot." He added, "I don't think we were directly targeted, but there were many Israeli planes flying over the region yesterday."

The Israeli army announced that its fighter jets struck over "150 targets" in Lebanon this morning.

Israeli strikes early this morning in Hermel, in northern Lebanon, killed one person and injured six others, including two in intensive care, according to a report from the Ministry of Health.

The death toll from the Israeli attack that hit a residential building in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Friday has now risen to 52 killed and 9 missing, following the discovery of another body under the rubble, according to a Civil Defense statement on Monday. This attack also resulted in 66 injuries.

The "Islamic Resistance in Iraq," a network of Iran-backed Iraqi militias, announced again around 5 a.m. this morning a strike against "the aerial surveillance base of the Golani Brigade" in the occupied Golan Heights using a drone.

Yesterday, this group claimed responsibility for five strikes against Israeli positions.

Hezbollah announced the death of one of its members, Mahmoud Hassan Saad, born in 1963 and originally from Adloun in southern Lebanon. It was not immediately clear where this Hezbollah member was killed.

During the night, Hezbollah announced that it had launched five new strikes against sites near the border as part of its "support front for Gaza," rather than in retaliation for Israeli operations or bombings in Lebanon. In separate statements published shortly after midnight, the party claimed to have targeted:

- The "Baghdadi" site opposite Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil)

- The Ma'ayan Baruch position opposite Khiam (Marjayoun)

- The so-called "radar" position in the contested Shebaa Farms

- An Israeli patrol traveling in a Merkava tank near the "al-Marj" site opposite Markaba (Marjayoun). This strike, using a "guided missile," resulted in casualties, according to the party

- An Israeli patrol near the "Jal al-Alam" site opposite the Lebanese village of Labbouneh (Sour)

A missile fell in an open area of Ehmej, in the heights of Jbeil, north of Beirut, according to residents who saw the projectile's fall and a plume of smoke rising from the area, as reported by our correspondent in the North. The region is uninhabited and far from the village, making it difficult to verify the type of missile so far. It was not immediately clear whether this strike was intentional or not. This incident comes as Israeli aircraft have been flying over the northern part of the country since 6 a.m., according to our correspondent.

China has urged its citizens in Israel to leave the country "as soon as possible."

"Chinese citizens in Israel are encouraged to return to China as quickly as possible or to find a safe place," the Chinese embassy in Tel Aviv stated in a press release last night. "The situation along the Israel-Lebanon border is currently very tense with frequent military clashes, while the security situation in Israel remains serious, complex and volatile," the embassy added.

Previously, Chinese authorities had called on their citizens to "enhance" their precautions.

Photo provided by our correspondent Muntasser Abdallah.

A volunteer from the Civil Defense of the al-Rissala Scouts (of the Amal movement) clears a road in Bani Haiyyan (district of Marjayoun) following an Israeli strike on the center of this locality. 

Organizations have also received calls from foreign numbers and messages, including the Lebanese Civil Defense center in Jwayya, east of Sour. An official from this center told L'Orient Today that they "received a call urging evacuation" of the building. However, this official stated, "We will continue to carry out our missions in the South."

According to our correspondent in the South, residents are receiving messages this morning "from Israelis," urging them to "stay away until further notice from villages that contain buildings where Hezbollah weapons are stored."

Zeina, who lives in Sour, told L'Orient Today that she has received three such messages since this morning. She believes they are "threats and psychological warfare" and says she does not take them seriously. She insists that she will remain in her home "no matter what."

⚡️ The Israeli army is preparing to launch "more extensive and precise" strikes in Lebanon, the army spokesperson also stated.

⚡️ When asked about the possibility of a ground incursion into Lebanon, the Israeli army spokesperson responded, according to Reuters, that "the army will do whatever is necessary to restore security in northern Israel."

⚡️ In this context, the Israeli army spokesperson urged residents of southern Lebanon to distance themselves from Hezbollah positions.

"We advise civilians in Lebanese villages located inside or near buildings and areas used by Hezbollah for military purposes, such as those used to store weapons, to take immediate shelter for their own safety," said Israeli army spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari during a press briefing.

⚡️ An Israeli army spokesperson stated, according to Reuters, that Israel began striking Hezbollah positions in Lebanon after "identifying an intent to fire on Israel."

According to our correspondent in southern Lebanon, Israeli strikes are targeting dozens of localities across the entire region. Among the areas hit are Aita al-Shaab, Kfar Kila, Aitaroun, Tiri, Maroun al-Ras, and the heights of Iqlim al-Touffah.

Our correspondent in the Bekaa reported heavy bombardments in various locations across the Bekaa in the outskirts of Shmistar, Boudai, Harbata, Wadi Janta and Wadi Faara as well as in the Hermel region.

The army has not provided any further details on the strikes at this time. However, according to the Jerusalem Post, the strikes are targeting "underground sites" used for launching rockets in wooded areas near Sour, Marjayoun, Nabatieh and Bekaa.

This morning began with the announcement by the Israeli army of the launch of a large-scale strike operation against Hezbollah targets.

Make sure to read the Morning Brief to get caught up with what has been happening.

Good morning! Thank you for joining us for today's live coverage of the Gaza war and its regional impacts.