Shafaq News/ On Monday, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani expressed solidarity with Lebanon calling for urgent efforts to halt what he described as Israel's "brutal" aggression and to protect the Lebanese people.

In a statement, al-Sistani's office said, "During these difficult times for the honorable Lebanese people, they are increasingly subjected to Israeli aggression in brutal ways, including the destruction of large numbers of personal communication devices and the targeting of densely populated residential areas, even those with women and children. Intense airstrikes have been carried out on dozens of villages and towns in the south and Bekaa, resulting in the martyrdom and injury of a significant number of heroic resistance fighters and other innocent civilians, and the displacement of tens of thousands from their homes."

The highest religious authority expressed, "solidarity with our dear Lebanese and condolences for their great suffering, raising prayers to the Almighty God to protect them from harm and the evil plots of wrongdoers, and to grant mercy to their martyrs and swift recovery to the wounded."

Al-Sistani urged all efforts to be made to stop the ongoing "brutal" aggression and to safeguard the Lebanese people from its devastating effects.

The Israeli military reported it had targeted over 300 Hezbollah sites in Lebanon during a wave of airstrikes that began early Monday.

"Since Monday morning, more than 300 Hezbollah sites have been targeted," the military said in a statement, adding that more than 150 airstrikes were conducted within one hour, between 6:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. (0330 GMT).