Smoke rises from an Israeli airstrike on Dahieh in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, late October 20, 2024. More than 2,400 people have been killed and more than 11,400 others injured in Lebanon, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. since the start of the recent escalations of hostilities. Photo by Wael Hamzeh/EPA-EFE

“Get rid of it immediately,” he said in a video statement.

Jeanine Hennis, the United Nations special coordinator for Lebanon, said there was “widespread panic” in Beirut after the IDF carried out its evacuations.

“A short moment to get to safety. Intense explosions echo through the night sky. Lebanon suffers more every day. But even amid the escalating violence, solutions remain available. If only opportunities would be taken,” she said.

Early Monday, the Israeli military announced it had hit dozens of Hezbollah facilities and locations that it accused the Iranian proxy militia of using to finance the war against Israel.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said Monday morning that 15 buildings in the Lebanese capital Beirut were hit when the IDF carried out a large-scale attack on “Hezbollah’s financial infrastructure.”

“Beirut is on fire,” he said in a statement.

“Hezbollah has paid and will continue to pay a heavy price for its attacks on northern Israel and its rocket fire.”

Israel accused Hezbollah of using the Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association Bank to store funds that it uses to buy weapons and make payments to Hezbollah operatives.

“The terrorist organization Hezbollah holds billions of dollars in the association’s branches, including money held directly under the name of the terrorist organization,” the IDF said in a statement.

“These attacks are part of the IDF’s ongoing efforts to degrade Hezbollah’s terror infrastructure, its military capabilities and its ability to rebuild.”

The IDF said the overnight attacks were carried out not just in Beirut, but throughout southern Lebanon and deeper into the country.

Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged attacks across the Israeli-Lebanese border since the start of Israel’s war against Hamas, another Iranian proxy militia, in Gaza, which began on October 7, 2023.

The cross-border attacks resulted in Israel evacuating tens of thousands of northern Israelis, and Israel has significantly intensified its attacks on Lebanon since September 23. The country has pledged to return northern Israelis to their homes.

According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, more than 2,460 people have died since October 7, 2023, but the vast majority have died since September 23.