The Israeli military has conducted strikes in southern Beirut following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rejection of calls for a ceasefire in Lebanon, asserting it would leave Hezbollah forces positioned near Israel’s border.
Witnesses from Reuters reported hearing two explosions and observing smoke rising from two distinct neighborhoods in southern Beirut’s suburbs. This event followed an evacuation order issued by Israel, which referenced only one building.
In recent weeks, the Israeli military has executed strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs with little to no advance notification, or has warned about one specific area while targeting more extensively.
It announced a strike on an underground Hezbollah weapons cache located in the Dahieh suburb of southern Beirut.
According to the UN refugee agency, Israeli military evacuation directives are now impacting over a quarter of Lebanon, happening two weeks after Israel initiated incursions in the south of the country purportedly to counter Hezbollah.
Some Western nations have advocated for a ceasefire between the two neighbors, as well as in Gaza, although the United States has reiterated its support for Israel and is deploying an anti-missile system and troops.
Soldiers and emergency personnel are seen amidst the debris of a house destroyed by an Israeli airstrike on October 15 in Aitou.
On the previous day, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller indicated that the US had communicated its concerns to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s administration regarding the recent military strikes.
“We have made it clear to the Israeli government that we have concerns and reservations about the extent and nature of the bombing campaign in Beirut over the last few weeks,” he told reporters, adopting a firmer stance than previously taken by Washington.
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Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati noted that his discussions with US officials had resulted in a “kind of guarantee” that Israel would reduce its strikes on Beirut and its surrounding areas.
The most recent airstrikes on Beirut occurred on October 10, resulting in 22 fatalities and the destruction of entire structures in a densely populated region.
At that time, Lebanese security sources indicated that Hezbollah official Wafiq Safa was the intended target, although he survived. No comments were made by Israel.
Volunteers from the Syrian Arab Red Crescent assist individuals at the Lebanese border with Syria.
Israel has intensified its operations against the Iran-backed Hezbollah since it began incursions into Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah leaders and commanders, including its long-time secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah last month, marking a significant setback for the group.
During a phone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday, Mr. Netanyahu expressed his opposition to a unilateral ceasefire and said he was “taken aback” by Mr. Macron’s proposal to convene a conference on Lebanon, according to an Israeli account.
“A reminder to the French President: The State of Israel was not established by a UN decision but by the victory achieved in the War of Independence … ,” Mr. Netanyahu’s office remarked in a separate statement.
Previously, the two leaders have had disagreements, including on Mr. Macron’s call to stop arms sales to Israel.
With diplomatic efforts stalled, hostilities persist.
The Israeli military reported capturing three members of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan unit, who have since been relocated to Israel for interrogation. Hezbollah has not issued any comments on the matter.
Its deputy leader Naim Qassem stated yesterday that the Iran-backed group would cause “pain” to Israel while simultaneously advocating for a ceasefire.
“Following the ceasefire, as per an indirect agreement, the settlers will return to the north, and further steps will be outlined,” Mr. Qassem mentioned in a recorded address.
No immediate reaction from Israel was available, which indicates that its operations in Lebanon are aimed at facilitating the return of tens of thousands of residents displaced from northern Israel due to Hezbollah assaults.
The Israeli military noted that approximately 50 projectiles had been launched from Lebanon toward its northern regions early this morning, with no casualties reported.
“Some projectiles were intercepted, and fallen projectiles were identified in the vicinity,” stated a military report, while Hezbollah claimed to have launched “a significant barrage of missiles” at the town of Safed.
Over the past year, Israeli strikes have resulted in at least 2,350 fatalities in Lebanon and nearly 11,000 injuries, as stated by the Lebanese health ministry, with over 1.2 million individuals displaced.
The casualty figures do not differentiate between civilians and combatants but include hundreds of women and children.
These statistics highlight the severe cost the Lebanese populace is incurring as Israel attempts to dismantle the infrastructure of the Iran-backed militant group, amid a conflict that reignited a year ago when Hezbollah began launching rockets at Israel in solidarity with Hamas at the onset of the Gaza conflict.
