The death toll from Israeli strikes in Lebanon has risen to 492, according to the health ministry

Israel said that the missiles it fired on Monday morning were aimed at Hezbollah weaponry concealed in residential buildings. The missiles broke the quiet of the early morning hours and killed around 492 people, according to reports. Israel warned residents to evacuate any buildings or regions where the group had fighters or weapons stationed, signaling the start of a fresh round of attacks on the Iran-backed group in Lebanon. At the same time as the explosions occurred.

According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, Israeli strikes on Monday alone resulted in 492 fatalities and over 1,246 injuries. The Ministry stated that women, children, and paramedics were among the victims, but it did not specify the number of militants among the dead and injured.

Israeli officials reported that their forces had hit 1,300 "terrorist targets" in Lebanon connected to Hezbollah, the political party and militant organization that has been attacking Israel with rockets on a regular basis since the onslaught on October 7th, which was organized by Hamas.

Not only was it the worst day of fighting with Israel since the 34-day war between the two nations in 2006, but it was also the biggest death toll on this front this year.

The Israel Defense Forces issued a warning to civilians to evacuate Hezbollah positions and said it was extending its "extensive, precise strikes against terror targets" in the Bekaa Valley, which is located near Lebanon's eastern border.

"Whoever tries to hurt us, we hurt him even more," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the military’s headquarters in Tel Aviv, adding that Israelis faced "complex days."

"I promised that we would change the security balance, the balance of power in the north," he said. "This is exactly what we are doing."

Following some of its strikes on Monday in southern Lebanon, the IDF claimed to have caused secondary explosions, which it later posted online and described as "Hezbollah's weapons exploding inside homes."

"Every house that we strike contains weapons — rockets, missiles, UAVs — that are intended to kill Israeli civilians," the IDF said. It said 300 separate Hezbollah targets were hit in its Monday morning airstrikes in Lebanon.

On Monday, President Joe Biden stated that the United States was attempting to defuse the situation in Lebanon.

"I've been briefed on the latest developments in Israel and Lebanon. My team is in constant contact with their counterparts, and we're working to de-escalate in a way that allows people to return home safely," Mr. Biden said as he held talks with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the White House.

The Pentagon said on Monday that the United States is increasing its military presence in the Middle East. Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the press secretary for the Pentagon, refused to say how many more forces would be sent or what their duties would be. At the moment, the US has roughly 40,000 soldiers in the area.

Last week, in a breathtaking Israeli operation, pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to Hezbollah militants detonated, raising the stakes in the conflict to unprecedented heights.

Then, on Friday, a rare airstrike on a heavily populated Beirut suburb claimed the lives of at least 45 people, including numerous civilians and prominent members of Hezbollah.