Where is Israel launching air strikes in Lebanon?
Israel has rejected calls for a ceasefire as it continues to bombard Hezbollah in Lebanon amid warnings to its own troops that it could soon launch a ground operation into "enemy territory".
In recent days, Israel has intensified its military assault on the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, which is based in Lebanon. This has sparked alarm among the international community over fears of a full-blown regional war breaking out.
The US and several Western allies have called for a 21-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in order to "provide space for diplomacy", but the Israeli government quickly downplayed any prospects of a pause in the hostilities.
Amid fears of a wider regional escalation, many countries have urged their citizens to leave the country, including the UK. On Wednesday, prime minister Keir Starmer said: "I have a very important message for British nationals in Lebanon which is: the time to leave is now."
Israel has ramped up its attacks in recent days, with more than 1,600 strikes being carried out in a single day earlier this week.
Why is Israel bombing Lebanon?
Hezbollah is a Shi'ite Islamist group and part of the "Axis of Resistance", an alliance of Iran-backed groups across the Middle East that also includes Hamas. It wields vast influence in Lebanon and maintains a large voting block in parliament, with its armed forces outmatching the official Lebanese military. It is accused of being a "state within a state", subversively controlling Lebanon.
This situation has existed for decades and has led to Hezbollah developing a military infrastructure in Lebanon, particularly in the south, which it uses to strike Israel. Following the escalation of violence sparked by the 7 October attack by Hamas on Israel, Hezbollah declared its solidarity by launching rockets into Israel from its bases the following day.
The sides have been trading fire on a near-daily basis since then, with Hezbollah launching rockets and drones and Israel mounting air and artillery strikes
Israel initially had a significant amount of its military might focused on attacking Hamas in Gaza, with the northern border considered less of a priority.
More recently, as Israel completed most of its military objectives in Gaza, it turned its attention north. Hezbollah also intensified its bombing as the conflict raged on. The most notorious of these attacks came when Hezbollah fired an Iranian-made missile killing 12 children in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on 27 July.
Almost 100,000 people have been forced to leave their homes in northern Israel due to the conflict and have been housed in temporary accommodation by the government. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said allowing the safe return of these people to their homes was a primary objective for the government.
On 17 and 18 September, communication devices such as pagers and walkie- talkies - believed to belong to Hezbollah militants - detonated around Lebanon killing dozens and injuring thousands.
Hezbollah blamed Israel and, the following day, Netanyahu said: "We will return the residents of the north securely to their homes." Soon after this, Israeli soldiers began moving north and the bombing campaign intensified.
North of the border, it is estimated almost half a million civilians, a tenth of Lebanon's population, have been displaced in as they fled in fear of an Israeli attack.
The map below shows where Israel has been targeting.
Where has Israel launched air strikes?
Israel has claimed all of its strikes have been directed at Hezbollah positions, with the vast majority of them occurring in the south of Lebanon where the militant organisation is strongest. On 23 September alone Israel claimed it had struck 1,600 Hezbollah targets, the Lebanese health ministry said 492 people were killed as a result.
Although clustered in the south, the east and north of the country have also been hit, with Israel saying it eliminated "launchers, command posts and terrorist infrastructure".
The second most-struck area was the Bekaa Valley in the north-east of the country. Israel claims Hezbollah stores strategic weapons that can be fired from a much longer range across the rural region.
Justifying the attacks, IDF chief spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari showed an attack on a structure in southern Lebanon with what appeared to be secondary explosions. Hagari said the secondary explosions were caused by weapons in the house.
Israel has only launched a few strikes at Lebanon's capital, Beirut, where half of the nation's population lives. It has claimed these strikes have been focused on killing Hezbollah leaders, with one on 24 September in the south of the capital killing commander Ibrahim Muhammad Qubaisi.
Israel claimed Qubaisi led a number of Hezbollah's rocket units and was responsible for a 2000 attack that left three Israeli soldiers dead.
Read more:
Britons urged to leave Lebanon now – but what are their travel options after most flights cancelled? (The Independent)
UK unveils £5m aid package for Lebanon amid deadly air strikes and rocket fire (PA)
Israeli PM Netanyahu Encourages Military To Keep Fighting In Lebanon As Countries Call For Ceasefire (Huff Post)
