On Tuesday, the Israeli military conducted at least five airstrikes targeting Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut. The strikes came shortly after Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, rejected any possibility of a ceasefire in Lebanon until Israel’s objectives were achieved.
Thick smoke billowed over Beirut as explosions shook the city mid-morning. The Israeli military had previously issued a social media warning, listing 12 sites in the southern suburbs and stating imminent action against them. Residents were cautioned that these locations were near Hezbollah facilities. So far, no immediate casualties have been reported from the latest strikes, as many residents had already fled the area since the beginning of Israeli bombings in September.
In northern Israel, air raid sirens prompted residents to seek shelter after the military reported "suspicious aerial targets" launched from Lebanon. There have been no reports of injuries.
The latest escalation marks a significant intensification of a conflict simmering along the Lebanese-Israeli border for over a year, reignited by the ongoing Gaza war. Since Israel launched its offensive in September, it has executed widespread airstrikes across Lebanon and deployed ground troops to the south, delivering major blows to Hezbollah’s infrastructure and personnel. In the past seven weeks, Israel has killed numerous Hezbollah leaders, including Hassan Nasrallah, while destroying swathes of Beirut’s southern suburbs and causing extensive damage to villages along the southern border.
During his first meeting with Israel’s General Staff, Defense Minister Katz emphasized Israel’s refusal to negotiate any ceasefire that fails to secure Israel's objectives, which include disarming Hezbollah, pushing its forces beyond the Litani River, and ensuring the safe return of Israeli residents in the north. Katz’s stance was echoed by Israel's Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, who acknowledged "some progress" in ceasefire discussions but underscored that the campaign against Hezbollah was far from over. The primary hurdle to any ceasefire agreement, Saar said, would be enforcing such an arrangement.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah remains defiant, declaring its readiness for prolonged hostilities and continuing its rocket attacks. The Lebanese government, which includes Hezbollah representatives, has repeatedly called for a ceasefire based on the full enforcement of a 2006 U.N. resolution, which mandates that the area south of the Litani River remain free of any non-state weapons. Both Lebanon and Israel have accused each other of violating the resolution’s terms.
Israel’s military campaign has driven over a million people from their homes in Lebanon in the past seven weeks. According to Lebanon’s health ministry, Israeli strikes over the past year have killed 3,243 people and injured 14,134, though the figures do not differentiate between civilians and combatants. In contrast, Hezbollah attacks have led to roughly 100 deaths among civilians and soldiers across northern Israel, the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, and southern Lebanon.
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