Israeli air raids kill 17 civilians in southern Lebanon after Netanyahu orders intensified strikes
At least 17 civilians have been killed in a series of Israeli artillery and aerial strikes against multiple locations in southern Lebanon, as the regime’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, ordered the military to intensify offensives against the Arab country.
The Israeli army launched barrages of artillery rounds as well as several airstrikes against the Rashidieh refugee camp, and the towns of al-Ma’shouq, Burj al-Shamali, Seddiqin, Housh and Rishknaniyeh late on Monday. No reports of possible casualties and the extent of damage caused were quickly available.
A round of Israeli air raids also targeted the towns of Mayfadoun, Habboush, Arab Salim, Toul, Harouf, Qaaqaait al-Jisr, and Duweir.
Local sources said two women lost their lives as an Israeli airstrike struck the building they were residing in.
At least five people were killed and another eleven, including children, suffered injuries as Israeli warplanes launched eight strikes on various residential neighborhoods of the town of al-Mashghara in the Beqaa Valley.
Israeli aerial attacks also targeted the towns of Yater, Zibqin, Ar-Rihan, and Louaizeh in southern Lebanon.
The outskirts of the towns of Shoukin, Jibchit, and Shehour were heavily shelled.
Israeli reconnaissance aircraft also flew over the capital Beirut and its southern suburbs, besides multiple locations in southern Lebanon, including the city of Baalbek and the Beqaa Valley.
The vicious strikes came shortly after Netanyahu ordered the Israeli military to escalate strikes against what he called Hezbollah’s positions in southern Lebanon amid abortive efforts to fight off the resistance movement.
Netanyahu announced the order in a post published on the Telegram messaging application.
“We are at war with Hezbollah, and we will intensify our strikes,” he declared.
Netanyahu said the Israeli army would not be taking its “foot off the gas. On the contrary, I said to step on the gas even more.”
The announcement of the escalation came as Lebanon marked Liberation Day, commemorating the departure of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon after an 18-year occupation in 2000.
In recent months, Hezbollah drones, particularly fiber-optic-guided models, have raised growing concern among Israeli officials due to the difficulty in detecting and intercepting them. Netanyahu has described the drones as a “major threat” and urged the military to develop ways to counter them.
More than 3,100 people have been killed, and 1.6 million displaced in the latest Israeli assaults in Lebanon that started on March 2.
Israeli attacks continue despite a US-mediated ceasefire that is supposed to remain in effect until early July.
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