Khaberni - The death toll from Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon has risen to 687 since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hezbollah on March 2nd, according to the Lebanese government on Thursday, at a time when Israel threatened to expand its operations in the country.
Lebanese Minister of Information Paul Marques said during a press briefing after a cabinet meeting that "the number of martyrs reached 687, including 98 children and 52 women".
The Israeli Minister of Defense, Israel Katz, said he directed the army to prepare to "expand" its operations in Lebanon, warning that Israel will act on its own if the Lebanese government does not move to control Hezbollah.
Katz added in statements, "The Israeli army is receiving instructions to prepare for the expansion of its operations in Lebanon," indicating a possible military escalation on the northern front.
Katz continued, saying: "If the Lebanese government does not control Hezbollah, we will control the land and do it ourselves."
On the dawn of March 2nd, Hezbollah launched several rockets from Lebanon targeting northern Israel, in response to the assassination of Khamenei, which dragged Lebanon into an open war with Israel, where the latter carried out destructive airstrikes on several Lebanese cities.
Since Saturday, February 28th, Israel and the United States have been conducting airstrikes on Iran, which led to the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, since then Tehran has been retaliating by hitting Israel and countries in the region with rockets and drones.
Iran implemented a maritime ban on the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, targeting oil tankers that attempted to pass through it.
