Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati has condemned a 'destructive plan' as intense Israeli strikes hit eastern and southern Lebanon on Monday. The Israeli military claimed it had attacked around 150 Hezbollah targets. 'The ongoing Israeli aggression on Lebanon is a war of extermination in every sense of the word and a destructive plan aimed at destroying Lebanese villages and towns,' Mikati stated during a cabinet meeting. He called on 'the United Nations, the General Assembly, and influential countries... to deter the (Israeli) aggression'.
On Saturday, Mikati announced the cancellation of his trip to the United Nations General Assembly, denouncing 'horrific massacres' following deadly attacks in Lebanon attributed to Israel. In a statement, Mikati explained that he canceled his trip 'due to the developments related to the Israeli aggression on Lebanon'. This week saw an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs and attacks on Hezbollah positions blamed on Israel.
Israel and Hezbollah exchanged heavy fire into Sunday, with Israeli warplanes conducting the most intense bombardment in almost a year across southern Lebanon. Hezbollah retaliated by firing rockets deep into northern Israel. The Israeli military reported striking around 290 targets on Saturday, including thousands of Hezbollah rocket launcher barrels, and vowed to continue targeting more.
