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Israel issues evacuation warning for Lebanese civilians as it launches ‘extensive’ attacks

Hezbollah said in a statement that it had fired dozens of rockets at an Israeli military base in the Galilee. It also targeted the facilities of Haifa-based defense company Rafael for the second day in a row. Israel said one person was injured by shrapnel.

In Lebanon, the losses were even higher: the Ministry of Health reported 182 deaths and 727 injuries.

The ministry asked hospitals in the south and east to stop non-essential operations and instead focus on treating the injured. The Education Ministry also closed all secondary schools and vocational and technical colleges and suspended classes at the Lebanese University in Beirut on Monday and Tuesday.

Israel's warning to civilians to stay away from insurgent positions is the first of its kind issued by the Israeli military in Lebanon, an Israeli military official told NBC News. The official added that the current campaign involves only airstrikes and not a ground assault.

Israel, the official said, wants to create safe conditions for the return of its own citizens to the north of the country and destroy Hezbollah's infrastructure.

About 60,000 people have been evacuated from the Israeli side of the border, the government said. In Lebanon, more than 100,000 people are on the run, according to the International Organization for Migration.

“We need to get our citizens back to their homes,” Israel's President Isaac Herzog told Sky News on Sunday. “The situation is clearly very dangerous and there is clearly the potential to escalate dramatically,” he said, blaming Hezbollah for starting the conflict.

President Joe Biden also warned that the violence could escalate.

“We will do everything in our power to prevent the outbreak of a major war,” he told reporters on Sunday.

By Vanessa

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