At Least 100 Dead and 400 Injured in Israeli Airstrikes Across Lebanon

Israeli air raids across eastern and southern Lebanon have resulted in at least 100 deaths and over 400 injuries, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. The casualties include children, women, and paramedics, raising concerns about a potential full-scale war in the region as Hezbollah announces a “battle of reckoning” against Israel.

In southern Lebanon, residents have received urgent phone calls instructing them to evacuate areas associated with Hezbollah. Lebanon's Prime Minister has urged the United Nations and the Security Council, as well as other influential nations, to intervene and halt the aggression from Israel.

This situation comes amid heightened tensions, prompting the Lebanese education minister to announce the closure of several universities and educational institutions in Beirut and its southern suburbs, as well as the Bekaa Valley. The information minister also mentioned that his office received evacuation orders but has opted to continue operations without leaving government buildings.

Despite the escalating conflict, some residents in Beirut are resolute, expressing that they refuse to evacuate and are not intimidated by Israeli threats, emphasizing that this is not the first time they have faced such dangers.

In response to the ongoing Israeli strikes, the education minister confirmed that schools in the affected regions would remain closed for two days. Additional reports indicated that injuries occurred in various towns, including Tefahta, Kfar Hatta, Babliyeh, Kawthariyeh al-Sayyad, and al-Ghassaniyah, particularly from attacks on residential buildings in Babliyeh and Sarafand.

Hezbollah has retaliated by launching numerous rockets at Israeli military posts, declaring that these strikes were in direct response to Israeli aggression in the south and Bekaa regions. The armed group targeted two military positions in northern Israel and the “Rafael defense industry complexes” near Haifa.