In brief
- A Lebanese military source says an Israeli strike in Beirut killed three people and wounded 15.
- Israel has also declared all areas south of Lebanon’s Zahrani River “combat zones”.
On Thursday, Israeli forces expanded their military campaign by launching strikes on southern Lebanon and targeting areas near Beirut, marking the first assault close to the Lebanese capital in several weeks, despite an uneasy ceasefire.
According to a Lebanese military official, an airstrike hit an apartment south of Beirut. This incident is the second raid of its kind since a ceasefire between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah was established on April 17, following the outbreak of hostilities in early March. The Lebanese health ministry reported that the attack resulted in three fatalities, including a woman and two children, and left 15 others injured.
Israel’s military confirmed that it had conducted a “precise strike” in Beirut, although it did not specify the exact target of the operation.
In southern Lebanon, Israel intensified its offensive, leading to at least 11 deaths, including two children, and injuries to 21 more individuals, as confirmed by the Lebanese health ministry.
The Lebanese military also reported that a soldier was killed in a separate attack by Israel while he was driving in the Nabatieh region.
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The strikes come as Lebanon and Israel prepare for a fourth round of talks brokered by the United States next week.
A ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah was supposed to have taken effect on 17 April but has never been observed.
Both sides accuse each other of violating it and justify their attacks by the other camp’s alleged breaches of the truce.
‘Highest level’ of projectiles fired since ceasefire
Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres, expressed concern and called on both sides to respect the ceasefire.
The UNIFIL peacekeeping force in Lebanon said that “Wednesday saw around 670 projectiles fired — the highest level since 17 April”.
Lebanon was dragged into the wider Middle East war in early March when Hezbollah launched rocket attacks on Israel in retaliation for the US-Israeli attacks on Iran, prompting Israeli strikes and a ground invasion.
The Israeli military on Wednesday local time declared all areas south of Lebanon’s Zahrani River, an area roughly 40 kilometres from the border, “combat zones” and told residents to evacuate ahead of attacks against Hezbollah.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported Israeli strikes on multiple south Lebanon locations, some of them deadly, including successive raids on the city of Nabatieh, one of which it said destroyed a mosque.
An AFP photographer saw fire and a thick plume of smoke rising at dawn and heard bombardment after a strike on a building in Tyre.
Ghazouane Halawani, a resident living near a building hit by a strike, told AFP that he believed Israel wanted to attack the ancient city’s “history and its civilisation”.
“We’re staying here. This is our country, our land, our life,” he added.
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