Lebanon news: Israel strikes kill over 270 [Video]

MARJAYOUN, Lebanon –

Israeli strikes on Monday killed more than 270 Lebanese in the deadliest barrage since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war as the Israeli military warned residents in southern and eastern Lebanon to evacuate their homes ahead of a widening air campaign against Hezbollah.

Thousands of Lebanese fled the south, and the main highway out of the southern port city of Sidon was jammed with cars heading toward Beirut in the biggest exodus since the 2006 fighting. More than 1,000 other people were wounded in the strikes — a staggering one-day toll for a country still reeling from a deadly attack on communication devices last week.

The government ordered schools and universities to close Tuesday across most of the country and began preparing shelters for people displaced from the south.

The Israeli military announced that it hit some 800 targets Monday, saying it was going after Hezbollah weapons sites. Some strikes hit in …