Israeli strikes on Lebanon after Hezbollah attack; 31 people killed

Dubai: Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon after Hezbollah attacked Israel have killed at least 31 people, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said on Monday. The Hezbollah attack and the Israeli retaliatory strikes expand the ongoing war gripping the Mideast after America and Israel launched an airstrike campaign targeting Iran.

The Health Ministry said that the strikes also wounded 149 people. It said about two-thirds of the dead were in southern Lebanon. Meanwhile, as Kuwait faced an ongoing attack, the US issued an urgent warning to Americans there to take cover and remain indoors. It said: “Do not come to the Embassy,” without elaborating.

Lebanese civilians fled from the country’s south and from Beirut’s southern suburbs on Monday, seeking refuge in schools in Lebanon’s capital following a new and deadly escalation between Israel and the Iran-allied Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

The Lebanese government later Monday slammed Hezbollah’s decision to enter Iran’s war with Israel and the United States, called the militant group’s actions illegal and demanded it hand over its weapons. Highways were jammed overnight and into Monday with people fleeing after what was Israel’s deadliest barrage on Lebanon in more than a year, striking hours after Hezbollah fired missiles across the border for the first time in more than a year.

At a public school hastily converted into a temporary shelter, families arrived carrying mattresses, plastic bags, and bundles of clothing.