Middle East crisis live: Israel launches further attacks on Hezbollah after almost 500 killed in Lebanon

Israeli airstrikes on ‘dozens’ of alleged Hezbollah targets comes amid fears tensions could escalate into a wider regional war

Charbel Massaad, an independent Maronite MP in Lebanon, has described Israel’s airstrikes as “an attack not only on geography, but also on dignity, on rights and on the future of our generations.”

In a message to the Lebanese people carried by the state National News Agency, Massaad said:

In these difficult times that our beloved country Lebanon is going through, and with the continued brutal Israeli aggression on our land, I find myself compelled to address you. The Israeli aggression that brutally targets our people, our homes, our villages and our cities is an attack not only on geography, but also on dignity, on rights and on the future of our generations.

But we, as a people accustomed to steadfastness and we will steadfastly face all challenges. This critical moment requires all of us, regardless of any political or sectarian affiliation, to stand as one. Our unity is our strength. Israel seeks to sow fear and division among us, but we know very well how to confront such conspiracies. Just as we were victorious in the past, we will be victorious today, because we are right, and right always triumphs, and the will to live among the Lebanese is stronger than any aggression or conspiracy.