Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel.
Jerusalem/Beirut: The biggest war between Israel and Hezbollah has now begun. Israel bombed Lebanon with warplanes this evening in response to Hezbollah’s rocket attacks. 274 people were killed and more than 1000 were injured in this fierce attack in Lebanon. More than 300 Hezbollah hideouts were destroyed in the attack. After this, Hezbollah is also continuously bombarding northern Israel with rockets. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to establish a balance of power in the north. Netanyahu said that he will not rest until he has achieved a balance of power in the north.
After this announcement by Netanyahu, the Israeli army has started non-stop attacks on Hezbollah’s bases in Lebanon. The Israeli Defense Minister has hit back at Hezbollah by saying that our fight is only with Hezbollah, not with the people of Lebanon. Therefore, the Lebanese have been asked to leave the places of targeted attacks and go somewhere far away. The Israeli army has announced that attacks on Hezbollah can be intensified even more at night.
Netanyahu said- our war is with Hezbollah
In the wake of Israeli attacks, Lebanese minister Nasser Yassin told Reuters that thousands of people were fleeing southern Lebanon ‘because of Israeli atrocities’. He said 89 temporary shelters have been activated in schools etc., with a capacity of more than 26,000 people so far. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a short video statement addressed to the Lebanese people, saying “Israel’s war is not with you, it is with Hezbollah. For too long, Hezbollah has been using you as human shields.” After nearly a year of war against Hamas in Gaza on its southern border, Israel is shifting its focus to the northern border, where Hezbollah is firing rockets into Israel in support of Hamas, which is also backed by Iran.
Most deaths in a single day in Lebanon’s history
After Israeli airstrikes killed 274 people, an official said it was the highest single-day death toll in Lebanon since the 1975-1990 civil war. Netanyahu said Israel faced “complex days” as attacks intensified in southern Lebanon and urged Israelis to stay united. “I promised we would change the security balance, the balance of power in the north – that’s exactly what we are doing,” he said. Lebanon is now expected to face more airstrikes in the coming hours. A security source told Reuters that an Israeli strike on Monday evening targeted senior Hezbollah leader Ali Karaki, the head of the front in southern Lebanon. Earlier, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said the operation would continue until “we achieve our goal of returning northern residents safely to their homes”.
