Israel hits 'dozens' of Hezbollah targets overnight after deadly day of strikes leaves 492 people dead

24 September 2024, 06:19 | Updated: 24 September 2024, 08:36

The Israeli military has confirmed it hit “dozens” of Hezbollah targets overnight following a day that left at least 492 people dead in Lebanon.

At least 492 people were killed and more than 1,600 injured after Israel launched a series of deadly strikes on Monday.

Hezbollah commander Ali Karaki was the target of the strikes, a security source told Reuters.

Now, the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) has confirmed another wave of attacks took place overnight.

“Dozens” of Hezbollah targets were hit in the early hours of Tuesday morning, according to reports.

Thousands of people fled southern Lebanon on Monday, after Israeli officials warned it would be striking Hezbollah targets in civilian areas.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said his country is facing "complicated days" as he called on Israelis to remain united.

"I promised that we would change the security balance, the balance of power in the north - that is exactly what we are doing," he said.

Immediate ceasefire required between Israel and Hezbollah, says Lammy

The Israeli military said that it had hit 800 Hezbollah targets in a matter of hours on Monday, including a Russian-made DR-3 missile which it claimed had been ready to fire across the border.

Residents in Beirut received text messages warning them to stay clear of the targets, which Lebanon's information minister said was a tactic of "psychological war implemented by the enemy".

Lebanon's PM accused Israel of waging "a war of extermination". He called for the UN to step in "to deter the [Israeli] aggression".

Meanwhile, Iran's president has accused Israel of seeking a wider war in the Middle East and laying "traps" to lead his country into a wider conflict.

Masoud Pezeshkian said that Iran does not want to see the current war in Gaza and airstrikes across the Israeli-Lebanon border expanded.

He said while Israel insists it does not want a wider war, it is taking actions that show otherwise.

Mr Pezeshkian pointed to the deadly explosions of pagers, walkie-talkies and other electronic devices in Lebanon last week, which he blamed on Israel, as well as the assassination of Hamas' political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on the eve of his inauguration.

"They are dragging us to a point where we do not wish to go," the Iranian leader said.

"There is no winner in warfare. We are only fooling ourselves if we believe that."