Lebanon says Israeli strikes kill 492

Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon killed at least 492 people, including 35 children, on Monday, according to Lebanese health authorities.

The Israeli military carried out strikes on hundreds of targets across the country in a major new assault on Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group and political party based in Lebanon.

Around 5,000 people have been injured in Israeli attacks since Tuesday, the Lebanese health minister said.

The strikes raise fears of a wider regional war in the Middle East, where Israel has also been battling Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip since October last year.

Hundreds were also displaced by the strikes, with Lebanon’s Interior Minister Bassam al-Mawlawi announcing that schools in Beirut, Tripoli and in southern Lebanon would be opened as shelters, according to local media.

Earlier Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel was “intensifying our strikes in Lebanon” and pledged to continue the attacks “until we achieve our goals.”

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani called the latest round of strikes “insane” and warned of “dangerous consequences” for Israel, without elaborating on details.

Israel launched its airstrikes hours after Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets Sunday at a military base in northern Israel.

Health Minister Firas Al-Abyad announced Monday that all nurseries would be closed in Lebanon tomorrow, “due to the continuation of Israeli aggression.” The Health Ministry has requested hospitals in South Lebanon to cease non-urgent surgeries to make room for the wounded.

This article has been updated to reflect the rising death toll.