Israel’s military has pushed deeper into Lebanon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, declaring that Israeli forces have crossed the Litani River and continued their advance.
During a visit to Division 36 on Israel’s northern border, Mr Netanyahu said troops were operating not only in the south but also in Beirut and the Bekaa Valley, describing a broad campaign against Hezbollah across Lebanon.
On 31 March, Mr Netanyahu said Israel’s area of occupation in Lebanon would extend to the Litani River, roughly 30km north of the Israeli border.
He framed the plan as “a vast buffer zone,” arguing it was needed to prevent anti-tank fire and deter the threat of an invasion.
By the 16 April ceasefire, Israeli forces had occupied only about half of the area he had outlined.
But since then, a continuing wave of air strikes and evacuation orders has pushed civilians out of places far beyond the Litani.
About half of the towns and villages placed under evacuation orders since the ceasefire lie south of the Litani, while the remainder are north of the river — including some locations more than 20 km from the waterway.
77 children killed in Israeli attacks in past week in Lebanon – UNICEF
UNICEF said the toll on children has sharply increased, reporting that, on average, eleven children have been killed or injured every 24 hours in Lebanon over the past week as Israel widened strikes across the country despite the ceasefire.
Heavy Israeli strikes hit towns and villages in southern Lebanon overnight on Wednesday and into yesterday, after Israel declared a new swathe of the area a combat zone.
Widespread damage following Israeli attacks on Beirut yesterday
Israeli strikes also hit a building in the southern suburbs of Beirut yesterday.
In total, 77 children have been killed or injured in the last seven days, UNICEF said, citing figures provided by Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health.
Since the ceasefire began on 16 April, 55 children have been killed and 212 injured, according to the agency.
UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires urged all parties to fully respect the ceasefire.
“Under international humanitarian law, children and civilian infrastructure must be protected,” he said.
The US-announced ceasefire was intended to stop the fighting that has raged between Israeli troops and Hezbollah since 2 March.
The UN’s World Health Organization said the widening scope of military activity was also intensifying health risks for people across Lebanon.
Since the ceasefire took effect, 27 attacks on healthcare facilities in Lebanon have been reported, the WHO said, leaving 25 people dead and 42 injured.
The agency added that 16 hospitals and 13 primary healthcare centres have been damaged in attacks.
