Lebanese soldiers and emergency service personnel inspect the rubble at the site of an Israeli air strike in the vicinity of Baalbek city in the central Bekaa plain on Feb 26, 2024. (PHOTO / AFP)
JERUSALEM/GAZA/BEIRUT - The Manufacturers Association of Israel (MAI) advised over 2,000 industrial factories across the country to prepare for a full-scale war between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, MAI said on Monday.
The warning was issued in a letter titled "Industry's Preparation for Full-Scale War on Israel's Northern Border" to all MAI member plants, comprising 90 percent of Israel's total industrial output and employing about 400,000 workers.
In the letter, MAI CEO Ruby Ginel wrote that "according to government officials and the Defense Minister, if a diplomatic solution is not found for the incidents on the northern border, we are heading for increased military intensity".
The letter stated that, according to government scenarios, in case of a full-scale war, there is a high probability of nationwide power outages lasting up to 72 hours, followed by initiated power outages of several hours a day under the needs of the electricity network.
It added that the flow of natural gas to factories is expected to stop, along with other disruptions that require preparation.
The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has risen to 29,782, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said in a press statement on Monday
Therefore, the factories were advised to check backup systems for electricity or natural gas consumption, stock up on fuels lasting at least 72 hours, and increase raw material stocks due to possible disruptions in truck traffic and the closure of activities at seaports.
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The factories were also advised to back up their communication systems with satellite phones due to fears of significant disruptions in the cellular network.
MAI has also opened a dedicated emergency room that will be in contact with governmental emergency authorities to integrate all activities of Israeli industry in an emergency.
Gaza toll rises to 29,782
The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has risen to 29,782, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said in a press statement on Monday.
During the past 24 hours, the Israeli army killed 90 Palestinians and wounded 164 others, bringing the total death toll to 29,782 and injuries to 70,043, according to the statement.
READ MORE: Gaza faces famine amid conflict
The statement added that some victims remain trapped under debris and on roads, with Israeli forces hindering access for ambulances and civil defense teams.
In a separate statement on Monday, the Israeli army confirmed that five of its soldiers sustained serious injuries in the Gaza Strip, noting that have been evacuated to hospitals, and their families have been notified.
Meanwhile, Lebanese military sources said a Hezbollah official was killed and four civilians were injured in Israeli strikes across different areas of southern Lebanon on Monday.
A Palestinian man holds the body of his son, killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, during his funeral in Khan Younis, Feb 26, 2024. (PHOTO / AP)
Hezbollah announced that in response to Israel's attacks, its fighters on Monday afternoon "launched 60 Katyusha rockets targeting an Israeli army base named Nafah in the occupied Golan Heights in Syria"
An Israeli drone launched an air-to-surface missile at a car in Al-Majadel town, located in the southwestern Lebanese city of Tyre, killing Hassan Hussein Salameh, a Hezbollah official in southern Lebanon, and wounding a person sitting next to him and another passer-by in the vicinity, the sources said on condition of anonymity.
In a separate incident, two paramedics from the Islamic Health Authority affiliated with Hezbollah sustained injuries, and their ambulance was destroyed during an Israeli raid on the village of Aita Al-Shaab in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah announced that in response to Israel's attacks, its fighters on Monday afternoon "launched 60 Katyusha rockets targeting an Israeli army base named Nafah in the occupied Golan Heights in Syria".
READ MORE: Hezbollah brings down Israeli drone in southern Lebanon
The Lebanon-Israel border has been witnessing increased tension since Oct 8, 2023, after Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets toward Israel in support of the Hamas attack on Israel the previous day, prompting Israel to respond by firing heavy artillery toward southeastern Lebanon.
The confrontations between Hezbollah and Israel have killed 317 people on the Lebanese side, including 215 Hezbollah members and 59 civilians, according to Lebanese security sources.
People stand next to the rubble at the site of an Israeli air strike in the vicinity of Baalbek city in the central Bekaa plain on Feb 26, 2024. (PHOTO / AFP)
Israel finds 10-km tunnel in Gaza
The Israeli army revealed Monday a strike on a newly discovered 10-km-long tunnel in the Gaza Strip, claiming to have identified dead Hamas members in the facility.
Citing Commander of Israel's Nahal Brigade Yair Zukerman, the Hebrew public radio reported that the tunnel, which connects the north and south of the Gaza Strip, was discovered in recent weeks by the brigade forces in cooperation with Israeli engineering forces.
ALSO READ: Israeli army presents operational attack plan in Gaza's Rafah
The army said the tunnel passes beneath the Turkish Friendship Hospital, Al-Isra University in Gaza, and the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza, adding that Hamas used the tunnel to transport its elements between different brigades in the Palestinian enclave.
The Israeli army said it destroyed wide parts of the tunnel after inspecting it, and claimed that some bodies found at the site were identified as Hamas members. Living quarters, toilets, weapon depots, and combat equipment were also found in the tunnel.
Hamas has yet to respond to the reports.
