The Israeli army carried out intense strikes on Saturday in Beirut, destroying a residential building and killing at least four people according to authorities, with the war between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah showing no respite despite international efforts for a ceasefire. fire.
Israel, which is also fighting Hamas in the Gaza Strip on its southern border, bombarded by air and artillery before dawn and in the morning three sectors of the besieged Palestinian territory, killing at least 19 people according to Civil Defense.
Israeli leaders say they want to put Hezbollah and Hamas, allies of Iran, its enemy, out of harm's way. He vowed to destroy Hamas after the unprecedented attack of this Palestinian Islamist movement on its soil on October 7, 2023, which sparked the war in Gaza, and seeks to stop Hezbollah's rocket fire on its territory.
Residents of the Lebanese capital Beirut woke up to the sound of three large explosions at dawn. The strikes targeted and completely destroyed a residential building in the popular and densely populated Basta neighborhood.
Ambulances flocked to the site of the targeted building, where rescuers cleared the rubble in search of possible survivors, according to AFPTV images.
The Health Ministry reported at least four deaths and 23 injuries.
The Lebanese National News Agency ANI spoke of a “terrifying massacre by Israeli aircraft which destroyed an eight-story residential building with five missiles.”
Strikes also targeted the southern suburbs of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold located near the capital's international airport, the day after a day of intense bombing in this area as well as in the south and east of Lebanon. , where the Lebanese movement is also well established.
– Accelerated cadence –
The Israeli army, which sometimes issues evacuation calls before its strikes, claims in its press releases to target “Hezbollah terrorist command centers”, “weapons depots” or places or people linked to the movement.
On October 8, 2023, the day after Hamas's attack on Israel, Hezbollah opened a “support front” for its Palestinian ally. After a year of cross-border exchanges of fire and after having weakened Hamas in Gaza, which was constantly bombarded, Israel moved the heart of military operations to Lebanon by launching an intense bombing campaign on September 23 on Hezbollah strongholds.
On September 30, Israeli troops launched a ground offensive in southern Lebanon, bordering northern Israel. For the first time on Friday, they entered the village of Deir Mimas, about 2.5 kilometers from the border.
Since October 8, more than 3,640 people have been killed in Lebanon, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, most since September 23.
Israel says it wants to distance Hezbollah from the border areas of southern Lebanon to allow the return of some 60,000 inhabitants of the north of the country displaced by the movement's fire.
In Lebanon, tens of thousands of residents have also been displaced.
The pace of Israeli strikes accelerated after the departure from Beirut of American envoy Amos Hochstein, who shuttled between Israel and Lebanon in an attempt to achieve a ceasefire.
– Deadly Israeli raids in Gaza –
In the ravaged Gaza Strip, Civil Defense reported Israeli strikes in Gaza City (north), Khan Younes (south) as well as tank fire in Rafah (south).
“Nineteen Palestinians were killed and more than 40 injured in three massacres caused by Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip,” Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal told AFP.
Hamas took power in Gaza in 2007, two years after Israel's unilateral withdrawal from the territory it occupied for 38 years. Before besieging Gaza on October 9, Israel had imposed a blockade on the poor and overpopulated territory since 2007.
Monday and Tuesday near Rome, the G7 foreign ministers are due to discuss the arrest warrants issued Thursday by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and the head of the armed wing of Hamas, Mohammed Deif.
Israeli officials are accused of crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza.
In response to the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, Israel launched a devastating military offensive in Gaza which left at least 44,056 dead, mostly civilians, according to data from the Hamas Ministry of Health.
It has also caused a humanitarian disaster in this territory where the 2.4 million inhabitants are threatened with famine according to the UN.
The October 7 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official data, including hostages killed or died in captivity. That day, 251 people were kidnapped, 97 of whom remain hostages in Gaza, including 34 declared dead by the army.
