Lebanon says Israeli strikes killed 39 people
Lebanon's health ministry said 39 people were killed and 75 wounded in Israeli strikes on the country's south and the Bekaa Valley. The Israeli military said the targets were Hezbollah depots. The Lebanese government filed a formal complaint at the UN Security Council.
The strikes hit in waves in the early hours of Monday. The health ministry's breakdown listed casualties from Tyre, Bint Jbeil and Baalbek governorates. It said nine children were among the dead. The Lebanese Red Cross announced rescue operations late on Monday night.
The Israel Defense Forces said in a press statement that the operation was a response to missiles fired at Israel's northern border last week. The IDF said brief text messages had been sent in some target areas calling on civilians to evacuate. Hezbollah's military wing has not commented since the strikes.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced he had written to the UN Security Council presidency requesting an emergency session. The United Nations said all UNIFIL patrols had been temporarily halted. Saudi Arabia announced a 100 million dollar emergency humanitarian aid package for Lebanon.
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