Deadliest Day in Decades: Israel's Airstrikes on Hezbollah

Israel launched airstrikes on Hezbollah targets, killing 492 people and precipitating a mass evacuation in Lebanon. Following the heaviest cross-border exchanges since October, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu emphasized that Israel's conflict was with Hezbollah, not the Lebanese people. Civilians fled to Beirut as the fighting escalated.

Israel launched airstrikes against Hezbollah targets on Monday, resulting in the deaths of 492 people and triggering a mass exodus in Lebanon's deadliest day in decades. Authorities reported heavy cross-border exchanges of fire, with Israel urging Lebanese residents to evacuate areas where Hezbollah stored weapons.

In a video statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the Lebanese people, declaring, 'Israel's war is not with you, it's with Hezbollah. For too long Hezbollah has been using you as human shields.' As the bombing intensified, families from south Lebanon packed vehicles to escape, causing gridlock on highways to Beirut.

Lebanese minister Nasser Yassin reported that 89 temporary shelters had been set up to accommodate fleeing civilians. The conflict, which has shifted Israel's focus from Hamas in Gaza to Hezbollah in Lebanon, resulted in at least 492 deaths and over 1,600 injuries, marking the highest daily death toll since the civil war.

(With inputs from agencies.)