Lebanon’s health ministry has reported that at least 356 people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes targeting villages and towns in southern Lebanon. Those killed include at least 24 children. The strikes, which began early this morning, have also left over 1,000 people wounded, including children, women, and paramedics, according to a statement from the Public Health Emergency Operations Center. Hospitals have started cancelling non-urgent operations to treat the injured. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed mid-morning that they had launched attacks on more than 300 Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon. These strikes are part of an ongoing and escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia that operates in Lebanon and which is a staunch ally of Hamas in Gaza. As the strikes continue, residents of Beirut have reported receiving phone messages urging them to evacuate areas where Hezbollah is believed to be operating or storing weapons. Lebanon’s Information Minister, Ziad Makary, confirmed that “a large number of citizens in Beirut” had received these “unified random telephone messages via the terrestrial network,” calling for their evacuation. Israel has a history of using phone or text message warnings ahead…
