JERUSALEM, Israel – On Monday, Israel launched Operation Northern Arrows, designed to allow tens of thousands of evacuated Israelis in northern Israel to return home. Part of that operation includes the most extensive bombing campaign since the 2006 Second Lebanon War, and it caused an exodus from southern Lebanon.
Israeli warplanes carried out more than 1,600 strikes to destroy Hezbollah rocket launchers, drones, and UAVs in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley.
Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi noted, "Essentially, we are targeting combat infrastructure that Hezbollah has been building for the past 20 years."
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced that Israeli jets have taken out tens of thousands of Hezbollah's missiles of the estimated 150,000 in their arsenal.
Multiple videos showed secondary explosions and the IDF released photos of Hezbollah rockets inside Lebanese homes.
Israel believes the strikes and recent attacks that have decimated Hezbollah's top military leadership sent Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah reeling.
Gallant stated, "Over the course of one week, we can say that in many ways, Nasrallah remains alone at the top."
The Iranian-backed Hezbollah has been able to fire hundreds of rockets as far south as Haifa.
In Lebanon, thousands clogged the roads leading north in an exodus to escape the fighting. The IDF warned Lebanese civilians in the south to get out of the way, and they heeded the warning, causing massive traffic jams.
Although Israel's military had sent messages to the residents to flee, IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari stated, "Even as we called on civilians to move away from danger, we saw that Hezbollah operatives were doing the opposite and acted to prevent civilians moving to safety."
Nearly 500 died in Monday's bombing wave and some 2,000 were injured, many of them Hezbollah fighters.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists Israel is not at war with Lebanon but with Hezbollah.
He told the Lebanese, “For too long, Hezbollah has been using you as human shields. It placed rockets in your living rooms and missiles in your garage. Those rockets and missiles are aimed directly at our cities, directly at our citizens."
Netanyahu added, "To defend our people against Hezbollah strikes, we must take out those weapons. Starting this morning (Monday), the IDF has warned you to get out of harm's way. I urge you – take this warning seriously. Don't let Hezbollah endanger your lives and the lives of your loved ones. Don't let Hezbollah endanger Lebanon.”
The IDF claims this is just a prelude to bigger goals, including eliminating Nasrallah. The question is if and when Israel may launch a ground invasion.
In the meantime, the Pentagon indicated it will be sending more troops to the region, and the United Nations General Assembly will address the war during its upcoming annual session.
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