Israelis on war alert, Lebanese fleeing their homes

Israel’s government declared a "special situation on the home front" on Monday evening, following the most intense day of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah since October.

The declaration significantly expands the IDF's powers to issue instructions to the Israeli public, allowing it to ban gatherings, limit studies, and issue "additional instructions required to save lives".

Hezbollah launched over 210 rockets into Israel on Monday in multiple barrages targeting Haifa and its surrounding suburbs, with many reaching the edge of central Israel and inside the West Bank.

Israel's air force struck over 800 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, killing at least 492 and wounding more than 1,600, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.

Tens of thousands of southern Lebanese citizens were seen fleeing their homes to find refuge elsewhere in the country after Israel warned them to stay away from known Hezbollah positions.

The IDF released evidence of Hezbollah munitions being placed in homes, as it sought to pre-empt criticism of the wide-ranging strikes. Among the weapons Israel said had been siloed in Lebanese homes before being hit by air force sorties were cruise missiles, rockets with large warheads and drones. In one case, the IDF revealed pictures showing what it said was a long-range rocket mounted on a hydraulic launcher and sitting in the attic of a Lebanese family’s home.

“We are crushing what was built by Hezbollah for 20 years,” Defence Minister Yoav Gallant declared during a visit to the IDF Operations Directorate’s command room, according to his office.

The escalation follows the dramatic and controversial operation that infiltrated and exploded hundreds of Hezbollah pagers and walkie-talkies. Accusations that the targeted pager attack was a war crime emerged this week.