BEIRUT: On Thursday, Israel turned down requests from around the world for a cease-fire with the Hezbollah movement, rejecting the US, its greatest friend, and continuing with strikes that have left hundreds dead in Lebanon and raised the possibility of a full-scale regional conflict.
According to Lebanon’s health ministry, an Israeli warplane bombed the outskirts of the country’s capital Beirut, killing two and wounded fifteen, including a woman who was critically injured. That resulted in 28 deaths from impacts that occurred during night and on Thursday.
According to two security sources, the attack killed Mohammad Surur, the leader of one of Hezbollah’s air force units. Surur was the most recent senior Hezbollah commander to be targeted in a string of high-ranking killings in recent days.
Following the attack, smoke could be seen rising in the vicinity of a number of Hezbollah sites as well as a large civilian residential and commercial sector. Al-Manar TV, the official channel of Hezbollah, aired footage of a building’s damaged upper floor.
The Israeli army conducted a ground invasion simulation on their side of the border with Lebanon. Major General Tomer Bar, the commander of the Israeli Air Force, stated late on Thursday that the force will not be transferring any weapons from Iran and that it will support the armed forces in the case of a ground action.
“We are getting ready for a ground maneuver side by side with Northern Command. Ready, if it comes on. In a video released by the Israeli military, he informed soldiers, “This is a decision that has to be made above us.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters that the military will continue hitting Hezbollah with “full force and we will not stop until we achieve all our goals, first and foremost returning the residents of the north safely to their homes” after landing in the US to address the UN General Assembly.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, whose administration includes Hezbollah elements, had voiced hope for a ceasefire; nevertheless, Israel’s stance has crushed hopes for a speedy settlement.
a 21-day truce
The Israeli shelling of Lebanon is at its worst since a major war in 2006, forcing hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee their homes.
An quick truce spanning 21 days was demanded by the US, France, and a number of other allies across the Israel-Lebanon border. They also stated that they were in favor of a ceasefire in Gaza.
According to the White House, US and Israeli officials are continuing their talks in New York for a 21-day truce. Ron Dermer, the Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs, was to meet with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Since Monday, Israel has attacked Lebanon, resulting in the deaths of almost 600 civilians. Hezbollah has launched hundreds of missiles at Israeli sites, notably Tel Aviv, the country’s commercial center, but Israel’s aerial defense system has made sure that the damage has been minimal.
According to Israel’s military, Israeli fighter planes targeted infrastructure along the Syrian-Lebanese border on Thursday in an effort to halt the flow of weapons from Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
According to the Lebanese health ministry, Syrians comprised the majority of those slain in the town of Younine in the Bekaa Valley on Thursday. Approximately 1.5 million Syrians who escaped the civil turmoil there now reside in Lebanon.
In a statement, Hezbollah claimed to have attacked an Israeli military northern command base as well as the community of Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel.
Thousands of Lebanese have taken refuge in schools in Beirut. In one, women were observed smoking cigarettes, drying out the foam mattresses they had been sleeping on this week, or leaning out of classroom windows.
Aid agencies were providing food and clothing, as well as monitoring the drugs required by elderly individuals who had left too soon to take their prescriptions with them.
Concerns regarding their people’ safety in Lebanon are shared by neighboring countries. Turkey is reportedly preparing for the potential evacuation of its nationals and foreign visitors from Lebanon, according to a source in the ministry of defense.
