Lebanon: Cars jam highways as thousands flee for safety after chilling warning from PM Benjamin Netanyahu

Thousands of people fled southern Lebanon on Monday as Israel pounded hundreds of terror sites, killing almost 500.

Lebanese officials said the attacks from south of the border marked the country’s deadliest day since the 2006 Israeli-Hezbollah war.

Cars jammed the roads trying to escape the bombardment as fighter jets targeted stashes hiding rockets, missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.

The Israel Defence Forces claimed it took out tens of thousands of rockets including a Russian-made DR-3 cruise missile hidden inside a civilian home as it started a “proactive offensive operation”.

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu then addressed the people of Lebanon, telling them: “The IDF has warned you to get out of harm’s way. I urge you: take this warning seriously.”

It came as Israel launched another strike on Beirut targeting Hezbollah’s third in command, Ali Karaki, who heads its Southern Front.

But Hezbollah on Monday said Ali Karaki was “safe”.

The targeted strikes follow a bold attack via its pagers and walkie-talkies, which exploded injuring thousands of officers last week.

But Islamic extremists hit back yesterday, firing more than 200 rockets, including ten long-range missiles, which hit the West Bank 95 kilometres over the border.

Some 500,000 Israeli children were told to stay off school in the north and ministers put the entire Jewish State on alert.

Hezbollah first began bombarding northern Israel to support Hamas a day after the terror group slaughtered 1,200 Jews on October 7.\

Hezbollah said it will only stop its attacks if Mr Netanyahu makes a ceasefire deal with Hamas.

But negotiations have failed and the PM is applying military pressure to force Hezbollah to retreat.

As Israeli jets were scrambled first thing, Mr Netanyahu warned Hezbollah: “Whoever tries to hurt us, we hurt him even more.”

Israel claimed its strikes took out 800 terror sites, but the Lebanese health ministry said at least 492 people died, including 35 children and 58 women, with more than 1,600 injured.

Prime Minister Najib Mikati claimed Israel’s actions amount to “a war of extermination”.

The UN’s peacekeeping force said it has “grave concern for the safety of civilians”.

Bumper-to-bumper traffic was seen as Lebanese residents evacuated southern cities including Sidon, driving towards Beirut.

As he held talks with UAE president Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, US President Joe Biden said: “We’re going to do everything we can to keep a wider war from breaking out.”

But Iran’s new leader Masoud Pezeshkian warned the consequences of “all-out conflict” would be ‘irreversible’.