Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system operates for interceptions as rockets are launched from Lebanon towards Israel, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, as seen from Haifa (Reuters)
Israel’s army chief said the country’s strikes in southern and eastern Lebanon on Monday were hitting combat infrastructure Hezbollah had been building for two decades.
Israel’s famous Iron Dome was once again back in action on Monday as the anti-missile system intercepted majority of rockets fired by Hezbollah hours after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) bombarded Iran-backed militant group’s hideouts in Lebanon.
Hezbollah’s indiscriminate strikes came as response to the IDF’s 300 airstrikes on Hezbollah targets left over 250 people dead and hundreds injured.
The Israeli military also warned its citizens to expect incoming missiles and drones launched by Hezbollah, with air alert sirens sounding across Haifa and Carmel in the country’s north.
“Israeli enemy strikes on southern towns and villages since this morning have killed 274 people and wounded 1,024 others,” a statement from the Lebanese health ministry said, adding that “children, women and paramedics” were among the casualties.
Over a million Israeli civilians are running to bomb shelters in Haifa as Hezbollah indiscriminately fires rockets.This is why we are operating against Hezbollah who is continuously attacking our civilians.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 23, 2024
IDF SAYS IT STRUCK 300 TARGETS IN LEBANON
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced in a post on the social media platform X that more than 300 Hezbollah targets were struck in Lebanon on Monday.
The Israeli army also shared a photo showing what is believed to be military chief Lt Gen Herzi Halevi approving additional attacks from military headquarters in Tel Aviv.
The Chief of the General Staff approves strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon from the IDF Headquarters Underground Operations Center. So far, more than 300 Hezbollah targets have been struck today. pic.twitter.com/hbNKWJ8QAs— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 23, 2024
Israel’s army chief said the country’s strikes in southern and eastern Lebanon on Monday were hitting combat infrastructure Hezbollah had been building for two decades.
“Essentially, we are targeting combat infrastructure that Hezbollah has been building for the past 20 years,” Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi said in a statement, adding the army was “preparing for the next phases” of the operation.
GET OUT OF HARM’S WAY
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Lebanese people to move away from danger as the Israeli military pounded Hezbollah targets in the country’s south and east on Monday.
“Please, get out of harm’s way now. Once our operation is finished, you can come back safely to your homes,” Netanyahu said in a video statement shortly after the Israeli army announced it had struck 800 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon
US TO SEND TROOPS TO MIDDLE-EAST
The United States on Monday said that it is sending a “small number” of additional troops to the Middle East in response to rising tensions in the region.
“In light of increased tension in the Middle East, and out of an abundance of caution, we are sending a small number of additional US military personnel forward to augment our forces that are already in the region,” Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder told journalists, declining to provide further information for security reasons.
LEBANON CLOSES SCHOOLS FOR 2 DAYS
Lebanese Education Minister Abbas Halabi on Monday said that the schools in the country’s east and south as well as in Beirut’s southern suburbs would shut for two days as Israeli strikes intensified.
In a statement, Halabi announced the closure of public and private schools on Monday and Tuesday in the areas due to “security and military situations” that “pose a danger to the movement of students”.
WHAT IS IRON DOME?
The Israeli-designed Iron Dome system is meant to protect populated areas and critical assets by neutralising short-range aerial threats. The defence system can intercept targets in the airspace and performs fast, complex calculations to detect the trajectory, speed and expected target of the rocket. It then uses these calculations to destroy the missiles in the air.
The Iron Dome is considered among the most advanced defence systems in the word and it uses radar to identify and destroy incoming threats in the air.
Northern Israel Right NowThis is what we are up against.
We hold the Lebanese government accountable for every Hezbollah rocket launched from its soil.
We will never apologize for protecting the people of Israel. pic.twitter.com/Ij0np5z1t8
— Israel ישראל (@Israel) September 23, 2024
The weapon system has been designed to help combat shorter-range rudimentary weapons like the rockets fired from Gaza. Each battery of the Iron Dome has a radar detection and tracking system, a firing control system and three launchers for 20 interceptor missiles.
Each battery has a range of between 4-70 kilometres. Moreover, the batteries are mobile so they can be moved to wherever they are required.
(With inputs from agencies)
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