Israel escalates Lebanon bombardment as officials considers ceasefire plan

The Israeli subject said nan attacks were directed astatine Hezbollah infrastructure, including a weapons retention facility.

Israel has ramped up aerial attacks crossed Lebanon arsenic its crushed forces reached their deepest constituent successful Lebanon since they invaded six weeks agone earlier pulling backmost aft battles pinch Hezbollah fighters, Lebanese authorities media reported.

On Saturday, Israeli aerial strikes connected nan colony of Khreibeh successful nan Baalbek District of eastbound Lebanon killed six group including 3 children, and injured 11 others, nan Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said.

Strikes earlier connected Saturday killed 2 medics successful southbound Lebanon, including 1 successful Borj Rahal and different successful Kfartebnit, and injured 4 different rescue workers, pinch 2 still missing, nan ministry added.

Israeli aerial strikes besides targeted areas of nan confederate suburbs of Beirut for a 5th consecutive day. The Israeli subject has said nan attacks were directed astatine Hezbollah infrastructure, including a weapons retention installation and a bid centre.

Reporting from nan Lebanese superior Beirut, Al Jazeera’s Charles Stratford said that astir residents of Beirut’s confederate suburbs had fled.

“There is virtually cipher location now. People utilized to spell backmost and cheque connected their homes, their belongings and their businesses during nan time but that has now go progressively difficult,” he said.

He noted that nan first strikes happened astir 9am (06:00 GMT). Following removal orders, location was different information of strikes successful nan afternoon.

“There was different monolithic activity of strikes connected nan confederate metropolis of Tyre, and arsenic we understand, astir nan surrounding villages, too. The Israeli subject put retired removal threats for astatine slightest 15 villages successful confederate Lebanon truthful acold today,” Stratford added.

The Iran-aligned equipped group Hezbollah fired astir 65 missiles towards Israel by Saturday afternoon, nan Israeli subject said.

A worker was besides killed during combat successful confederate Lebanon, nan Israeli subject added.

Hezbollah has said it launched a bid of drone strikes connected an Israeli naval guidelines adjacent nan coastal metropolis of Atlit southbound of Haifa.

“A squadron of termination drones” attacked “a gathering of Israeli force service forces adjacent a subject checkpoint successful nan Avivim settlement, and deed their targets accurately”, it said successful a statement.

Israel launched its crushed violative and ramped up aerial attacks connected Lebanon successful precocious September aft almost a twelvemonth of cross-border hostilities pinch Hezbollah successful parallel pinch nan Gaza war.

The Israeli army’s main of unit Herzi Halevi has said that nan subject will proceed to onslaught Lebanon until Israelis displaced from nan northbound tin return.

“Hezbollah has paid a precocious price, its concatenation of bid has collapsed, galore of its operatives person been killed, and extended infrastructure dismantled,” Halevi said successful a connection released by nan Israeli army.

“We will extremity erstwhile we cognize that we are bringing nan residents [of bluish Israel back] safely.”

Saturday’s clashes and further Israeli bombardment came arsenic Lebanese and Hezbollah officials study a draught connection presented by nan US earlier this week connected ending nan war.

A apical authorities charismatic successful Beirut said connected Friday that US Ambassador Lisa Johnson had presented a 13-point connection to halt nan Israel-Hezbollah conflict. It includes a 60-day truce, during which Lebanon will deploy troops to nan border. The charismatic added that Israel has yet to respond to nan plan.

Ali Larijani, a elder advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei besides met Lebanese officials successful Beirut connected Friday, saying Tehran was “looking for solutions”.

Top Israeli officials person many times expressed scepticism of imaginable truce deals, saying Israel must person nan correct to enforce immoderate ceasefire. Israel has besides demanded that Hezbollah fighters retreat to nan area northbound of nan Litani River, astir 30km (19 miles) from nan separator pinch Israel.

In Lebanon, astatine slightest 3,452 group person been killed and 14,599 wounded successful Israeli attacks since October 2023.

Israel says Hezbollah attacks person killed astir 100 civilians and soldiers successful bluish Israel, nan Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and confederate Lebanon complete nan past year.

Source

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Al Jazeera and news agencies