Israel and Hezbollah traded strikes again on Tuesday as death toll from massive Israeli bombardment crossed 560 and thousands fled from south Lebanon and increasing risk of full-fledged war.
Displaced families slept in shelters set up in schools in Beirut and coastal city of Sidon. With hotels booked to capacity or rooms priced beyond the means of many families, those who did not find shelter slept in their cars, in parks or along the seaside.
Well-wishers offered up empty apartments or rooms in their houses in social media posts, while volunteers set up a kitchen at an empty gas station in Beirut to cook meals for the displaced.
In the eastern city of Baalbek, the state-run National News Agency reported that lines formed at bakeries and gas stations as residents rushed to stock up on essential supplies in anticipation of another round of strikes on Tuesday.
Syria saw massive traffic jams as people escaped from Lebanon Border.
The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said it launched missiles overnight at eight sites in Israel, including an explosives factory in Zichron, 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the border.
The Israeli military said Tuesday morning that 55 rockets were fired from Lebanon into northern Israel, setting fires and damaging buildings. Military officials said they carried out dozens of airstrikes on Hezbollah targets, including on a cell that fired rockets overnight, and that tanks and artillery struck targets near the border.
Data showed significant fires breaking out across southern Lebanon and in Bekaa Valley. Several areas showed intense, multiple fires, including near the southern coastal town of Naqoura, which is a base for UNIFIL, the UN peacekeeping mission. Others were in mountainous rural areas or villages.
Hezbollah has been firing rockets, missiles and drones into north Israel in solidarity with Palestinians and Hamas, backed by Iran. Israel responded with heavy airstrikes and targeted Hezbollah commanders and threatened bigger operation.
Thousands of Lebanese fled after Israeli military ordered people to evacuate areas where it accuses Hezbollah of positioning rocket launchers and weapons, in the biggest exodus since the 2006 war.
The Lebanese Health Ministry said the strikes since Monday killed at least 558 people, including 50 children and 94 women, and wounded over 1,800 people. Tens of thousands people on both sides have been displaced. Israel has vowed to ensure its citizens can return to their homes in the north, while Hezbollah said it will continue rocket attacks until there is cease-fire in Gaza.
The Israeli military says Hezbollah has launched 9,000 rockets and drones into Israel since last October, including 250 on Monday alone.
The military said Israeli warplanes struck 1,600 Hezbollah targets on Monday, destroying cruise missiles, long- and short-range rockets, attack drones and weapons in homes. Lebanese officials have said many victims were civilians, including more than 90 women and children.
Israel estimates Hezbollah has 150,000 rockets and missiles, including guided missiles and long-range projectiles capable of striking anywhere in Israel.
