On Sept. 23, constant barrage of attacks devastated huge swathes of territory in southern and eastern Lebanon and left around 500 casualties. Lebanon's health ministry said it was the deadliest day of conflict in almost 20 years.
The IDF gave Lebanese civilians only hours to pack up their belongings and evacuate from their homes before starting a merciless bombing campaign of what they insisted were command-and-control centers, ammo dumps and other locations used by Hezbollah. (Related: Hezbollah warns people in Lebanon against scanning QR codes from Israeli leaflets.)
Following the hurried evacuation order, photographs taken in Lebanon showed congested highways full of scared citizens trying to escape the strike zones.
The bombing comes as world leaders headed to New York for the UN General Assembly, where Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told attendees that "the world is heading off the rails," and tough decisions are needed to be made to get it back on track. Many hoped diplomacy and discussions during the assembly could help bring an end to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and beyond.
Overall, the toll is shocking as Lebanon is still recovering from a deadly attack on Hezbollah communication devices earlier in September. The death toll also surpassed the destruction caused by the 2020 Beirut port explosion, where hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse detonated.
The 2020 incident decimated buildings, destroyed a section of the port and injured more than 6,000 people. However, there were only 218 casualties, which was less than half of the recent attack's toll.
In a recorded message, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Lebanese civilians to obey Israeli calls to evacuate, adding that they should "take this warning seriously."
Israel will do whatever it takes to cripple Hezbollah's military capabilities
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel "will do whatever is needed" to cripple Hezbollah's military capabilities. Gallant also promised they would let displaced residents from Israel's northern territories return home safely.
Meanwhile, Israel's military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari claimed the Sept. 23 widespread airstrikes had inflicted heavy damage on Hezbollah. However, he didn't give a timeline for the ongoing operation and added that Israel is prepared to launch a ground invasion of Lebanon if needed.
According to Hagari, Israeli warplanes struck 1,600 Hezbollah targets during the attack, destroying cruise missiles, rockets and attack drones. Hezbollah has around 150,000 rockets and missiles, including guided missiles and long-range projectiles that can strike anywhere in Israel.
During a news conference, Hagari said Hezbollah "has turned southern Lebanon into a war zone." Israel's bombing campaign was wide-ranging and concentrated on different targets throughout southern and eastern Lebanon.
Earlier on Sept. 23, the Israeli military said it carried out a targeted strike in Beirut. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported that three missiles hit southern Beirut's Bir al-Abed neighborhood.
Lebanese Health Minister Firas Abiad said the earlier strikes hit ambulances, hospitals and medical centers. The Lebanese government ordered schools and universities to close throughout most of the country as it started preparing shelters for the displaced.
Some strikes reached residential areas in the south and the eastern Beqaa Valley, while one attack hit a wooded area as far away as Byblos, which was over 80 miles from the border north of Beirut.
Go to WWIII.news for more updates about the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.
Watch the video below as Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Seyed Abbas Araghchi comments on the situation in the Middle East.
This video is from the alltheworldsastage channel on Brighteon.com.
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