Maha Christopher
Israel on Monday ordered fresh strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, a stronghold of the Hezbollah movement, as tensions in Lebanon continue to escalate ahead of an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council.
According to AFP, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz directed the military to target what they described as Hezbollah positions in the Dahiyeh district of Beirut.
“In light of the repeated violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon by the terrorist organisation Hezbollah and the attacks on our cities and citizens, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz have instructed the IDF to strike terror targets in the Dahiyeh district of Beirut,” a joint statement said.
Katz also warned that there would be “no calm in Beirut” if Hezbollah attacks continued and vowed to establish a military controlled security zone around the Litani River area in southern Lebanon.
The latest development comes as the UN Security Council prepares to hold an emergency session on Israel’s expanding military operations in Lebanon, while the European Union has called on Israel to halt what it described as a military escalation.
Iran, which remains engaged in negotiations aimed at ending its broader conflict with the United States, said a ceasefire in Lebanon remains a key condition for any agreement.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said, “A ceasefire in Lebanon is an essential condition for any deal aimed at ending the war.”
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the renewed attacks, describing them as “a vicious and reprehensible Israeli aggression.”
Residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs were seen fleeing the area following reports of impending air strikes.
A resident identified as Hadi said many families had hoped for stability after the truce but were forced to leave their homes amid renewed fears of violence.
“That feeling did not last long. Our fears intensified this morning after I received a series of messages about orders to bomb the southern suburbs, which caused widespread panic, and we immediately left the area,” he told AFP.
The renewed strikes come a day after Israeli troops captured Beaufort Castle, a strategic hilltop fortress overlooking southern Lebanon, in what Israeli officials described as a significant expansion of military operations.
“The capture of Beaufort is a dramatic stage and a dramatic shift in the policy we are leading,” Netanyahu said.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for a missile attack on the Israeli city of Tiberias and said it had also targeted Israeli forces operating inside Lebanon.
Military delegations from Israel and Lebanon are expected to continue US brokered security talks in Washington this week as diplomatic efforts intensify to prevent a wider regional conflict.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry says more than 3,400 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since March, while 26 Israelis, including 25 soldiers and one civilian contractor, have died during the same period.
