The IDF on Tuesday released images and videos that it said proved Hezbollah had stored weaponry in civilian homes amid heavy airstrikes on Lebanon that have killed at least 492 people, including 35 children. This follows a statement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Lebanese citizens should “get out of harm’s way.”
The IDF had called on civilians in southern Lebanon to leave the structures where Hezbollah is said to store weapons. “The rocket shown is a long-range missile, prepared at any moment to be launched to its target, it said, pointing out one of some 1,300 targets hit so far in Lebanon, among them cruise missiles and UAVs.
Netanyahu, meanwhile, accused Hezbollah of hiding behind the Lebanese people as “human shields,” adding that Israel’s struggle is against the terror organization and not against them. In the video message, he repeated that the civilians must listen to every warning of evacuating, saying, “Once our operation is finished, you can return safely to your homes.
The IDF has released a video showing the public how Hezbollah exploits civilian infrastructure to store weapons. “Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari went on to explain the tactics used by the group while calling on Lebanese citizens to protect themselves from the ongoing violence.
The latest strikes marked the deadliest day of cross-border conflict since the Gaza war erupted, with the Israeli army saying it targeted 800 Hezbollah positions. Residents in southern Lebanon and northern Israel thus retreated to safer places for shelter. In Haifa, sirens sent citizens scurrying for cover as some 180 projectiles, including UAVs, crossed into Israeli airspace. Israel’s Iron Dome defense system shot down most.
Health workers in southern Lebanon were racing to treat hundreds of casualties while families fled the violence, cramming highways leading to Beirut in traffic jams. The violence brought devastating strikes to some areas spared from much of the conflict. Lebanon’s education ministry declared a two-day closure for all educational institutions after the crisis.
U.S. President Joe Biden called for restraint, saying that efforts were underway to de-escalate the situation in the region. After Israeli air strikes carried out with heavy loss of life, Biden spoke about the need to guarantee civilian safety as U.S. officials continued “around the clock” contacts with the Lebanese government.
The incident marked an escalation, with the Pentagon confirming it would deploy a “small number” of additional U.S. troops to the Middle East amid fears of a wider regional conflict as Israel steps up its military response to Hezbollah.
