Israel has intensified its airstrikes on Beirut and southern Lebanon, launching a series of attacks just one day after Lebanese officials hinted at their consideration of a US-mediated ceasefire.
This conflict is deeply rooted in a web of alliances, with Hamas, Hezbollah, and Islamic Jihad enjoying the backing of Iran, Israel’s primary adversary. Notably, Iran has expressed its eagerness for a rapid conclusion to the ongoing hostilities that have gripped Lebanon for nearly two months.
Since September 23, Israel has significantly ramped up its bombardment of various sites within Lebanon, escalating to the deployment of ground troops following nearly a year of sporadic clashes. These tensions were reignited by Hezbollah’s military actions in response to the Gaza conflict.
According to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency, unidentified “enemy” forces executed three airstrikes early in the day, later reporting an additional assault in the Chiyah neighborhood.
A chilling incident unfolded in the Ghobeiry district, where a building crumbled following an Israeli strike on the Dahieh region of Beirut.
NNA further indicated that Tyre, a southern city near UNESCO-recognized archaeological sites, also fell victim to airstrikes.
The ministry of health in Lebanon informed that two rescuers, affiliated with Hezbollah and its allied group Amal, lost their lives due to Israeli assaults.
On the flip side, Hezbollah has countered with rocket attacks directed at northern Israel, focusing on military installations, including a naval base near Haifa.
Lebanese officials report shocking figures: over 3,440 lives have been claimed since the hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel reignited in October of the previous year.
Moreover, recent Israeli actions resulted in the tragic deaths of ten Palestinians, with at least twenty others wounded, at a school in Gaza City’s Shati refugee camp—a facility currently sheltering many displaced families, according to medical personnel.
The UN-run Abu Assi school witnessed chaos as rescue operations continued and worries mounted over potential individuals trapped beneath the rubble. No immediate comments have surfaced from Israeli authorities regarding the incident.
In the northern territories of Gaza, two rockets aimed at Israel were reported intercepted, illustrating the ongoing capability of Palestinian militant factions to launch attacks despite an extensive Israeli military operation that has turned vast stretches of land into desolation and displaced many of the enclave’s 2.3 million residents.
Palestinian health officials declared that Israeli airstrikes had claimed at least thirty lives across the Gaza Strip recently.
The Israeli military confirmed that operations were still active in northern Jabalia and Beit Lahia, areas that have recently faced intense offensives. Operations have also extended into the southern district of Rafah, as reported by the army.
Israel argues that these renewed military efforts aim to prevent Hamas from reorganizing and strengthening its position.
Meanwhile, a sobering assessment from the UN this past weekend warned of imminent famine conditions in northern Gaza, noting that the ongoing Israeli operations have forcibly displaced at least 100,000 individuals.
In response to Human Rights Watch’s recent claims—asserting that the mass displacement of Gazans constitutes a “crime against humanity”—and findings from a UN Special Committee suggesting genocidal warfare practices, Israel has strongly pushed back. A spokesman for the foreign ministry labeled the HRW report as “completely false,” with the United States, Israel’s closest military ally, echoing that accusations of genocide are “certainly unfounded.”
The Gaza health ministry has reported staggering numbers: at least 35 individuals perished in the territory within just the previous 24 hours, pushing the total death toll to an alarming 43,799 since the escalation began. The overwhelming majority of these casualties are said to be civilians, according to figures deemed reliable by the United Nations.
The catalyst for this brutal conflict was Hamas’s audacious attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which claimed 1,206 lives, predominantly among civilians, as per an AFP tally derived from Israeli sources.
Additionally, civil defense reports unveiled the tragic loss of 11 lives due to strikes throughout Gaza early Saturday. In the Rafah district, witness Jamil al-Masry described a scene of devastation, indicating that a targeted house had experienced “a massive explosion.”
In a rare admission, Israel acknowledged a recent strike in Syria aimed at the Islamic Jihad group. According to a report from an insider, Abdel Aziz Minawi, a significant figure in Islamic Jihad’s political bureau, and Rasmi Abu Issa, its chief of foreign relations, were killed in the assault on Qudsaya, near Damascus.
This group continues to hold several Israeli hostages taken during the October 7 assault; earlier this week, they released two video clips featuring Sasha Trupanov, a 29-year-old Russian-Israeli captured during these violent events.
Amidst a stalemate in diplomatic efforts to halt the Gaza war, a prominent official from Beirut revealed that US Ambassador Lisa Johnson had presented a comprehensive 13-point proposal aimed at ceasing the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. The proposal outlines a 60-day truce during which Lebanon would bolster its military presence at the border. However, Israel has yet to officially respond to this proposition.
Another Lebanese official, who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the topic, expressed cautious optimism regarding the ongoing discussions. Meanwhile, a senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, met with Lebanese representatives in Beirut, indicating Iran’s pursuit of solutions.
In Gaza, the health ministry, under Hamas administration, reports an astonishing figure of 43,799 lives lost due to the prolonged conflict, which has now persisted for over 13 months. This figure includes the latest 35 casualties reported within the prior day, and it highlights the staggering toll of wounded individuals—totaling 103,601—since the hostilities erupted following Hamas’s initial attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
While Israel has vehemently declared its commitment to thwart Hamas’s resurgence in northern Gaza, the escalation of both aerial bombardment and ground assaults initiated in October remains a grim chapter in this ongoing conflict, with heavy civilian casualties reported throughout.
As the situation continues to unfold, the Israeli military reports its troops are actively engaged in operations within the northern territories of Jabalia and Beit Lahia, stating they “continued their operational activity” in Rafah, targeting what they describe as terrorist groups and their associated infrastructures while uncovering significant caches of weaponry.
Edited by: Ali Musa
alimusa@axadletimes.com
Axadle international–Monitoring
