FALCON POWERS – Israeli broadcasting authority reported on Monday that the government hastily approved a declaration of a state of emergency on the home front throughout the country, effective immediately and lasting for one week.
The Israeli government’s decision came in response to news published by the Hebrew newspaper “Haaretz” regarding the assassination of Hezbollah’s southern commander, Ali Korki, in an airstrike targeting the southern suburbs of Beirut.
The intensity of Israeli shelling on Lebanon escalated on Monday, with Israeli aircraft conducting over 200 airstrikes on southern towns. Additionally, the bombardment extended to the Bekaa region and the city of Jbeil for the first time.
Lebanese sources reported that messages were being sent to Lebanese citizens’ phones from Israel stating: “If you are in a building with Hezbollah weapons, leave the village until further notice.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to carry out more attacks and expand military operations in Lebanon, asserting that Israel’s actions represent a “change in the balance of power.”
Netanyahu warned Israelis that “we are facing difficult and long days ahead” and urged everyone to “adhere to the home front alerts,” emphasizing the need to “stand together until victory.”
These statements come as over 200 people have been reported killed and 700 others injured, including children, women, and paramedics, due to unprecedented and intense Israeli airstrikes on towns and villages in southern and eastern Lebanon, according to a new toll announced by the Lebanese Ministry of Health.
