Israeli Airstrikes Target Southern Beirut Amid Lebanon’s Consideration of Ceasefire Proposal
Israel has initiated a series of airstrikes on Beirut and southern Lebanon, just one day after Lebanese government officials indicated they were considering a U.S.-proposed truce.Hamas, Hezbollah, and Islamic Jihad receive backing from Iran, Israel’s primary adversary, which has expressed support for a prompt resolution to the ongoing nearly two-month conflict in Lebanon.
Since September 23, Israel has intensified its bombing campaign against targets in Lebanon, later deploying ground troops following nearly a year of limited cross-border skirmishes that began with Hezbollah’s escalations related to the Gaza conflict.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported that “the enemy” executed three air raids in the morning and later confirmed another attack in the Chiyah neighborhood.
A building has collapsed in the Ghobeiry district due to an Israeli strike targeting the Dahieh region of Beirut.
NNA also detailed a strike in the southern city of Tyre, specifically in an area close to UNESCO-listed ancient ruins.
In southern Lebanon, health ministry reports indicated that Israeli airstrikes resulted in the deaths of two rescuers from Hezbollah and its ally Amal.
Hezbollah claimed responsibility for several rocket attacks on northern Israel, aiming at military sites, including a naval base in the Haifa region.
Lebanese officials have stated that more than 3,440 individuals have lost their lives since October of last year, when exchanges of fire commenced between Hezbollah and Israel.
In Gaza City, an Israeli strike tragically resulted in the deaths of 10 Palestinians and injured at least 20 more at a school in the Shati refugee camp, which was sheltering displaced families, according to medical sources.
The rescue operations are currently in progress at the UN-run Abu Assi school, and health officials have indicated that there may still be people trapped under the debris. Israeli officials have not yet provided comments on the attack.
The Israeli military has reported intercepting two rockets launched at Israel from northern Gaza.
These launches demonstrate the capability of Palestinian militant factions to target Israel despite more than 13 months of relentless aerial and ground campaigns, which have devastated large areas of the enclave, displacing much of its 2.3 million residents.
Palestinian health authorities reported that at least 30 individuals have been killed due to Israeli military operations throughout the territory.
The Israeli military stated that its forces continued “operational activities” in the northern zones of Jabalia and Beit Lahia, areas that have been under significant assault since early October.
Additionally, troops operated in the southern region of Rafah, according to military statements.
Israel indicated that the resurgence of its operations in the heavily damaged north aims to prevent Hamas militants from organizing.
A UN-backed assessment over the weekend warned that famine is imminent in northern Gaza, with UN data revealing that Israeli operations have caused at least 100,000 individuals to flee their homes.
Israel has rejected a Human Rights Watch report released this week that stated its actions leading to Gazan displacement constitute a “crime against humanity,” as well as findings from a UN Special Committee pointing to military practices consistent with genocide.
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a spokesman from the foreign ministry dismissed the HRW report as “entirely false,” while the United States, which primarily supports Israel’s military efforts, declared that allegations of genocide “are undoubtedly unfounded.”
According to the Gaza health ministry, at least 35 individuals perished in the territory over the last 24 hours, bringing the total death toll during more than 13 months of conflict to 43,799.
The majority of the deceased are reported to be civilians, based on figures considered reliable by the United Nations.
The attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023, which ignited the current conflict, resulted in 1,206 fatalities, mostly civilians, as per an AFP tally from Israeli official sources.
The civil defense agency documented 11 fatalities due to strikes across Gaza early on Saturday.
In Rafah, local resident Jamil al-Masry described a house being struck, resulting in “a massive explosion.”
In a rare acknowledgment of a strike in Syria, Israel confirmed targeting the Islamic Jihad group.
A source from the group informed AFP that Abdel Aziz Minawi, a member of the Islamic Jihad political bureau, along with Rasmi Abu Issa, the group’s head of foreign relations, were killed in the strike on Qudsaya, near Damascus.
Islamic Jihad continues to hold several Israeli hostages taken during the October 7 assault on southern Israel. Earlier this week, the group released two video clips featuring Sasha Trupanov, a 29-year-old Russian-Israeli hostage.
Israeli strikes in and around Damascus led to the deaths of 23 individuals earlier this week.
As diplomatic efforts to resolve the Gaza conflict remain stalled, a senior official in Beirut reported that U.S. ambassador Lisa Johnson presented a 13-point proposal aimed at ceasing hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.
This proposal includes a 60-day truce during which Lebanon would station troops along the border. The official mentioned that Israel has yet to respond to this initiative.
A second Lebanese official, who requested anonymity while discussing sensitive topics, expressed optimism regarding the negotiations.
A high-ranking advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has met with Lebanese officials in Beirut to discuss possible solutions.
The health ministry in Gaza, governed by Hamas, reported that the ongoing conflict has resulted in a death toll of 43,799.
Healthcare authorities in Hamas-controlled Gaza confirmed that at least 43,799 people have died amidst more than 13 months of conflict with Israel.
This total includes 35 deaths within the last 24 hours, according to updates from the ministry, which reported 103,601 injuries since the outbreak of hostilities following the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
Palestinians who have been displaced from shelters are seen crossing into Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip.
Hamas’s attack on October 7 led to the deaths of 1,206 individuals, primarily civilians, according to an assessment of Israeli official statistics.
Responding to the need to prevent Hamas militants from regrouping in northern Gaza, Israel initiated a significant air and ground offensive in that area in October.
The Israeli army stated earlier that its operations in the northern regions of Jabalia and Beit Lahia are ongoing.
The military also emphasized that “over the previous day, troops continued operations in Rafah, targeting numerous militants, dismantling terrorist facilities, and uncovering a significant cache of weapons in the southern territory.”
