Israel launches dozens of fresh strikes on Lebanon as death toll mounts

Israel has announced dozens of new air strikes on Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon, a day after 558 people, including 50 children, have been killed in the deadliest bombardment since a devastating war in 2006.

On Tuesday, Hezbollah said it had launched volleys of missiles at Israeli military bases, hours after 180 of its projectiles and an unmanned aerial vehicle crossed into Israeli airspace.

The Israeli military said more than 50 projectiles were fired into northern Israel in less than 10 minutes, most of which were intercepted.

It said it had carried out more strikes during the morning targeting Hezbollah's infrastructure.

In Lebanon, Monday's raids have killed 558 people, including 50 children and 94 women, according to Health Minister Firass Abiad.

"The vast majority, if not all of those killed in yesterday's attacks were unarmed people in their homes," he said.

UN gravely concerned

Longtime foes Hezbollah and Israel have been locked in near-daily cross-border exchanges of fire for nearly a year, since Israel launched its war on Gaza.

Monday's bombardment of Lebanon was by far the largest and deadliest, not just in the past year, but since the Israel-Hezbollah war in the summer of 2006.

That war killed 1,200 people in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and 160 Israelis, most of them soldiers, and devastated large swathes of Hezbollah's strongholds.

Israel has dubbed its raids on Hezbollah "Operation Northern Arrows" after announcing earlier this month it was shifting the focus of its firepower from Gaza to Lebanon.

Other leaders have expressed alarm over the rapid escalation, with UN chief Antonio Guterres's spokesman saying he was "gravely alarmed" and the EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell warning "we are almost in a full-fledged war".