BSS
  23 Sep 2024, 13:24

One dead in dozens of Israeli strikes on Lebanon: official media

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Sept 23, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Dozens of Israeli air strikes hit Lebanon's south and east Monday, killing at least one civilian, official media reported, as Israel's military warned Lebanese to move away from Hezbollah targets.

The official National News Agency (NNA) said "enemy warplanes launched... more than 80 air strikes in half an hour", targeting south Lebanon's Nabatiyeh district. It also reported strikes in the Tyre area.

At the same time, the NNA reported "intense raids in the Bekaa" Valley in the east, deep inside Lebanon near the Syrian border, including in the vicinity of Baalbek and the outskirts of Hermel.

The NNA said the strikes in the east killed a "civilian", a shepherd, "and wounded two members of his family" and four others.

AFP correspondents in the south and east reported the sound of heavy strikes.

A Hezbollah source, requesting anonymity, said strikes in the Bekaa Valley targeted the area from east to west.

Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that "we advise civilians from Lebanese villages located in and next to buildings and areas used by Hezbollah for military purposes, such as those used to store weapons, to immediately move out of harm's way for their own safety".

Hagari told a media briefing Israel's military "will engage in (more) extensive and precise strikes against terror targets which have been embedded widely throughout Lebanon".

Hezbollah has traded near daily cross-border fire with Israeli forces in support of Hamas since the Palestinian militant group's October 7 attack triggered the Gaza war.

Violence has spiked dramatically in recent days, and Israel and Hezbollah traded heavy fire over the weekend, raising fears of all-out war.