Israel to expand strikes against ‘Hezbollah weapons sites’ in Lebanon

The military said on Monday that it is expanding its air strikes to include areas of the Bekaa Valley, along Lebanon’s eastern border, after targeting more than 300 sites in southern Lebanon.

Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm Daniel Hagari said residents of the Bekaa Valley must immediately evacuate areas where Hezbollah is storing weapons.

Earlier, Lebanese authorities say 100 people have been killed in what would be the deadliest day in the country in nearly a year of fighting between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group.

The Lebanese health ministry said more than 400 others were wounded in the strikes in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli army announced the strikes on the social media platform X, posting a photo of what is said was the military chief, Lt Gen Herzi Halevi, approving additional attacks from military headquarters in Tel Aviv.

It is one of the most intense barrages of air strikes in nearly one year of fighting against Hezbollah.

Lt Gen Halevi and other Israeli leaders have promised tougher action against Hezbollah in the coming days.

As Israel was carrying out the attacks, Israeli authorities reported a series of air-raid sirens in northern Israel warning of incoming rocket fire from Lebanon.

Earlier, Israel had urged residents of southern Lebanon to leave their homes in areas where it claims Hezbollah has stored weapons, warning of “extensive strikes” there.

It was the first warning of its kind in nearly a year of steadily escalating conflict and came after a particularly heavy exchange of fire on Sunday.

Hezbollah launched around 150 rockets, missiles and drones into northern Israel in retaliation for strikes that killed a top commander and dozens of fighters.

There was no sign of an immediate exodus from the villages of southern Lebanon, and the warning left open the possibility that some residents could live in or near targeted structures without knowing that they are at risk.

The increasing strikes and counter-strikes have raised fears of an all-out war, even as Israel is still battling Hamas in Gaza and trying to return scores of hostages taken in Hamas’ October 7 attack.

Hezbollah has vowed to continue its strikes in solidarity with the Palestinians and Hamas, a fellow Iran-backed militant group. Israel says it is committed to returning calm to its northern border.

Associated Press journalists in southern Lebanon reported heavy air strikes targeting many areas on Monday morning, including some far from the border.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said the strikes hit a forested area in the central province of Byblos, about 81 miles north of the Israeli-Lebanese border, for the first time since the exchanges began in October.

No injuries were reported there. Israel also bombed targets in the north-eastern Baalbek and Hermel regions, where a shepherd was killed and two family members were wounded, according to the news agency. It said a total of 30 people were injured in strikes.

The Lebanese health ministry asked hospitals in southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa valley to postpone surgeries that could be done later.

The ministry said in a statement that its request aimed to keep hospitals ready to deal with people wounded by “Israel’s expanding aggression on Lebanon”.

An Israeli military official said Israel is focused on aerial operations and has no immediate plans for a ground operation. The official said the strikes are aimed at curbing Hezbollah’s ability to launch more strikes into Israel.

Lebanese media reported that residents received text messages urging them to move away from any building where Hezbollah stores arms until further notice.

“If you are in a building housing weapons for Hezbollah, move away from the village until further notice,” the Arabic message reads, according to Lebanese media.

Lebanon’s information minister, Ziad Makary, said his office in Beirut had received a recorded message telling people to leave the building.

“This comes in the framework of the psychological war implemented by the enemy,” Mr Makary said, and urged people “not to give the matter more attention than it deserves”.

It was not immediately clear how many people would be affected by the Israeli orders. Communities on both sides of the border have largely emptied out because of the near-daily exchanges of fire.

Israel has accused Hezbollah of transforming entire communities in the south into militant bases, with hidden rocket launchers and other infrastructure. That could lead the Israeli military to wage an especially heavy bombing campaign, even if no ground forces move in.

The military said it had targeted more than 150 militant sites early on Monday. Residents of different villages in southern Lebanon posted photos on social media of airstrikes and large plumes of smoke. The state-run National News Agency also reported air strikes on different areas.

An Israeli air strike on a Beirut suburb on Friday killed a top Hezbollah military commander and more than a dozen fighters, as well as dozens of civilians, including women and children.

Last week, thousands of communications devices, used mainly by Hezbollah members, exploded in different parts of Lebanon, killing 39 people and wounding nearly 3,000. Lebanon blamed Israel for the attacks, but Israel did not confirm or deny any responsibility.

Hezbollah began firing into Israel a day after the October 7 attack in what it said was an attempt to pin down Israeli forces to help Palestinian fighters in Gaza.

Israel has retaliated with air strikes, and the conflict has steadily intensified over the past year.

The fighting has killed hundreds of people in Lebanon, dozens in Israel and displaced tens of thousands on both sides of the border. It has also sparked brush fires that have destroyed agriculture and scarred the landscape.

Israel has vowed to push Hezbollah back from the border so its citizens can return to their homes, saying it prefers to do so diplomatically but is willing to use force. Hezbollah has said it will keep up its attacks until there is a ceasefire in Gaza, but that appears increasingly elusive as the war nears its first anniversary.

Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on October 7, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250. Some 100 captives are still held in Gaza, a third of whom are believed to be dead, after most of the rest were released during a weeklong ceasefire in November.

Israel’s offensive has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry. It says women and children make up a little over half of those killed. Israel says it has killed more than 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.