Tens of thousands of people fled southern Lebanon on Tuesday as Israel intensified an aerial assault that inflicted the country's deadliest day since war nearly two decades ago, while Hezbollah launched a new barrage of cross-border fire. Nearly 500 people were killed in Lebanon on Monday, according to local health officials, marking the deadliest Israeli bombardment of the country since Israel's 34-day war with Hezbollah in 2006. Mahmoud Zayyat / AFP - Getty ImagesThe Israeli military had issued warnings for residents in southern and eastern Lebanon to evacuate certain areas, spurring thousands of people to flee their homes. Scenes of families fleeing southern Lebanon and of fiery explosions filling the skyline fueled global fears of an all-out regional conflict. However, in a briefing Monday, an Israeli military official said a halt in fire from Hezbollah would not be enough to end Israel’s strikes on Lebanon.

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