Thousands flee Lebanon’s south as Israel renews strikes

Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes in Lebanon as Israeli strikes pummelled the country, the U.N. said Tuesday, calling events "extremely alarming."

"We are gravely concerned about the serious escalation in the attacks that we saw yesterday," U.N. refugee agency spokesman Matthew Saltmarsh told reporters in Geneva.

"Tens of thousands of people were forced from their homes yesterday and overnight, and the numbers continue to grow," he said.

Israeli air strikes killed at least 558 people on Monday, including 50 children and 94 women, according to Lebanon's health ministry. At least four healthcare workers were killed and 16 paramedics injured, the World Health Organization said.

Hezbollah and Israel have been locked in near-daily cross-border exchanges of fire since Palestinian militants Hamas staged an unprecedented attack on Israel on Oct. 7.

Monday's bombardment of Lebanon was by far the largest since the war between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group in mid-2006.

Several U.N. agencies said they were ramping up their aid in Lebanon to address a situation that was already dire before the escalation.

Thousands of people fled southern Lebanon, jamming the main highway to Beirut in the biggest exodus since the 2006.

Hezbollah said on Tuesday that 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, sending people in the city of Haifa running for shelter.

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

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a direct appeal...