Israel launched airstrikes on targets in southern Lebanon, killing nearly 500 people in one of the deadliest days of fighting in nearly two decades and fueling fears of all-out war.
About 1,650 people were injured in the airstrikes, and the dead included about 100 women and children, Lebanon’s health ministry said. Israeli officials said many of those killed were members of the Lebanese militia Hezbollah, and claimed the group had planted rocket launchers in private homes.
The strikes were a major escalation just days after an attack in which pagers and radios owned by Hezbollah members exploded. Israel has not claimed responsibility for the campaign, but the group blamed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
One Israeli military official said the country was focusing on an air campaign to degrade Hezbollah’s military capabilities, suggesting a major ground invasion was not imminent.
In any case, it was the deadliest day of strikes since the war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006. The strikes came as world leaders, including Netanyahu, converged on New York for a high-level annual meeting of the UN General Assembly to focus on Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The two sides have exchanged cross-border rocket fire almost daily since Israel’s war with Hamas broke out last October, but the conflict has escalated in the past week.
The US will send a “small number” of additional troops to the Middle East, Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said without further details.
Both Hezbollah and Hamas are sponsored by Iran and are considered terrorist organizations by the US.
Until last week, Israel and Hezbollah had largely focused their strikes on areas near the border. Still, Israel is increasingly frustrated by its inability to stop Hezbollah rocket attacks and drone strikes.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, Hezbollah and Lebanon accused Israel of blowing up thousands of pagers and radios, mostly used by members of the group. The two-day operation in Lebanon killed at least 39 people, including civilians and children, and injured thousands.
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Hezbollah is a Shiite militant organization that, like Hamas, was trained and funded by Iran. It is considered the most powerful non-state force in the Middle East, with tens of thousands of missiles and fighters at its disposal. It is also a political party with significant support in Lebanon.
Hamas killed 1,200 people and took 250 hostages in its attack last October 7. The ensuing Israeli air and ground offensive has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians.
