Israeli airstrikes against Hezbollah forces in Lebanon killed at least 564 people, including 50 children and at least 94 women. The strikes also injured close to two thousand others on Monday. Lebanon’s health ministry stated the deadliest day of Israeli attacks there since at least 2006, when Israel last fought a war with the Iran-backed militant group.
This follows another attack the week prior, in which Israeli forces targeted major Hezbollah figures using explosive devices implanted in pagers and walkie-talkies, causing the deaths of 23 people and injuring at least a thousand more, according to Time Magazine. The U.S. is sending additional troops to the region in response to the sharp spike in violence between Israel and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon that has raised the risk of a greater regional war, the Pentagon said Monday.
Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder would provide no details on how many additional forces or what they would be tasked to do. The U.S. currently has about 40,000 troops in the region. “In light of increased tension in the Middle East and out of an abundance of caution, we are sending a small number of additional U.S. military personnel forward to augment our forces that are already in the region. But for operational security reasons, I’m not going to comment on or provide specifics,” said Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday warned Lebanese civilians in a videotaped message to evacuate their homes ahead of further airstrikes. He spoke as Israeli warplanes continued to strike alleged Hezbollah targets in southern and eastern Lebanon. “I have a message for the people of Lebanon: Israel’s war is not with you. It’s with Hezbollah,” Netanyahu stated.
