Israeli military bombs Hezbollah targets in Lebanon

The Israeli military launched its most widespread wave of air strikes against Iran-backed Hezbollah, simultaneously targeting Lebanon’s south, eastern Bekaa valley and northern region near Syria in nearly a year of conflict.Asked by reporters about a possible Israeli ground incursion into Lebanon, Daniel Hagari said “we will do whatever is needed” in order to return evacuated residents of northern Israel to their homes safely, a war priority for the Israeli government.The latest attacks came amid some of the heaviest cross-border exchanges of fire in a conflict raging alongside the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.Hagari called on residents of south Lebanon to keep away from Hezbollah posts.Hagari said that Hezbollah over the years has stashed weapons, including cruise missiles, in houses and buildings throughout southern Lebanon, and called on residents to stay away from these sites.Hagari presented in a media briefing an aerial video of what he described as Hezbollah operatives trying to launch cruise missiles from a civilian house in Lebanon, and the subsequent Israeli strike moments before it was launched.“Hezbollah is endangering you.Endangering you and your families,” Hagari said.He said Israel began striking Hezbollah posts in Lebanon after identifying an intention to fire on Israel.Israeli warplanes carried out an intense wave of air strikes on towns along Lebanon’s southern border and even further north on Monday morning, according to Reuters witnesses.Reuters reporters in the southern port city of Tyre could hear warplanes flying low over southern Lebanon and hear a series of air strikes nearby.Hezbollah’s al-Manar television reported Israeli airstrikes targeting the outskirts of many towns and villages in the south and the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon.

Footage showed columns of smoke rising over the south.In addition to striking the Bekaa Valley region of eastern Lebanon, warplanes also carried out airstrikes on the Hermel area in no...