Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah sites in Lebanon on Monday killed at least 492 people, including 35 children, in what Lebanese authorities described as the country’s deadliest day in decades. The strikes, which targeted Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley, and near the Syrian border, also forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes, creating chaotic scenes on highways as families sought refuge further north.

The Israeli military said it struck about 1,600 Hezbollah targets, including rocket launchers, command posts, and other infrastructure used by the Iran-backed group, in response to one of the heaviest days of cross-border fire since hostilities began last October. “On this day, we have taken out of order tens of thousands of rockets and precise munitions,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said, calling it a “significant peak” in the nearly year-long conflict.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the Lebanese people in a video statement, insisting that “Israel’s war is not with you, it’s with Hezbollah. For too long, Hezbollah has been using you as human shields.” He urged civilians to evacuate areas where Hezbollah was believed to be storing weapons.

The deadly strikes have escalated fears of a broader regional conflict that could draw in the US and Iran. A senior US State Department official said Washington did not support the escalation and planned to discuss “concrete ideas” with allies to prevent the conflict from expanding. Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian accused Israel of provoking a wider war, warning of irreversible consequences.