274 dead in Israeli strikes on Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Sept 23 (AFP): Israeli air strikes killed 274 people, including 21 children, in Lebanon on Monday, the Lebanese health minister said, in by far the deadliest cross-border escalation since war erupted in Gaza on October 7.

War began when Palestinian militant group Hamas carried out the worst-ever attack on Israel, with Hezbollah and other Iran-backed groups around the region drawn into the violence.

Israel said it hit about 800 Hezbollah sites in south and east Lebanon during the day and carried out a "targeted strike" later in Beirut. A source close to Hezbollah said the strike on the capital targeted a senior operative from the group.

Lebanese state media reported a new wave of raids in the country's east, while Hezbollah said it targeted five sites in Israel.

The Israeli strikes killed 274 people in Lebanon, including 21 children and 39 women, Health Minister Firass Abiad said, adding about 5,000 people had been wounded since Tuesday.

World powers have implored Israel and Hezbollah to pull back from the brink of all-out war, with the focus of violence shifting sharply in recent days from Israel's southern front with Gaza to its northern border with Lebanon.