Israeli bombings hit the southern suburbs of Beirut, a stronghold of Hezbollah, during the night and in the morning. The IDF called on the population to evacuate.
The essentials
- The IDF strikes represent a “refusal” of a ceasefire from Israel, according to the Lebanese prime minister. American emissaries had tried to negotiate an end to the violence.
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A series of bombings took place overnight and in the morning in the southern suburbs of Beirut. We do not yet know the human toll. At least ten strikes caused explosions and fires, according to the Lebanese National Agency (NNA). This represents a “refusal” of a ceasefire from Israel, notes the Lebanese Prime Minister.
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The head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, called for the polio vaccination campaign to be resumed “urgently” in the Gaza Strip. “We look to Israel to facilitate this action,” he said at a news conference.
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The Hamas government’s Ministry of Health has published a new report. 43,259 people have died in Gaza since October 7.
Latest updates
12:56 – It is “urgent” to resume the polio vaccination campaign in the Gaza Strip, Blinken warns
The head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, warned Thursday evening about the health situation in Gaza. After a first case of polio was discovered in 25 years in the territory, a vaccination campaign was launched by the WHO on September 1. The first phase has been completed, but the World Health Organization cannot move on to the second due to “too intense bombing.” “It is urgent that this be done in the coming days, and we look to Israel to facilitate this action,” Blinken urged at a press conference.
11:55 – New toll shows 43,259 dead in Gaza
The Hamas government’s Ministry of Health reports a new assessment. 43,259 people have died in Gaza since October 7. At least 55 people have been killed in the last 24 hours.
11:26 – Israeli air raid on Baalbek, southeast Lebanon
A new Israeli air raid took place on a neighborhood in Baalbek, southeast of Lebanon, according to the Lebanese press agency. The IDF did not call on residents to evacuate the city.
10:48 – At least ten Israeli strikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut
At least ten bombings hit the southern suburbs of Beirut overnight and in the morning. This target is strategic for Israel since it is the stronghold of Hezbollah. The Israeli army had issued a call to evacuate before the bombings. On videos broadcast by AFPTV, we see buildings completely destroyed as well as fires in the affected area. The Lebanese prime minister considered this a “refusal” of a ceasefire as American envoys tried to find an agreement.
43,061. This is the number of deaths in the Gaza Strip since the Hamas terrorist offensive on October 7, 2023 in Israel. A figure communicated by the Ministry of Health of the Hamas government on Monday October 14, 2024 and which reveals the intensity of the fighting which has lasted for more than a year now. Over the months, tensions intensified, and as of October 27, 2023, Israel extended its ground operation to Gaza. The objective for Netanyahu and the IDF is clear: to “annihilate” Hamas. A one-week ceasefire nevertheless took place in November 2023. After a significant leap forward, on April 13, 2024, Iran launched its first massive attack on Israel. Hamas ally, Iran then fired nearly 350 explosive drones and missiles at the Jewish state. An attack in response to missiles fired at the embassy in Damascus, Syria on April 1, in which 11 people lost their lives, including seven Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Tuesday September 17, 2024, a new kind of attack broke into the war. Hezbollah pagers and walkie-talkies explode. Twelve deaths and nearly 3,000 injured have been recorded in Lebanon. Since its coordinated explosions, Israel has continued to strike Lebanon with air or ground raids. More than 1,000 people are killed in IDF strikes and thousands of Lebanese are forced to be displaced. On October 1, 2024, Iran responded by sending nearly 200 ballistic missiles directly to Israel. Since then, the two countries have been waging a merciless war. On October 8, 2024, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, threatened Lebanon with “destruction and suffering like those we see in Gaza” if the population of the country does not ” “liberated” not from Hezbollah. Comments described as “provocation” by the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot.
Monday October 14, 2024, Lebanese Hezbollah threatened Israel with new attacks in a press release. As a reminder, Hezbollah had struck Haifa two days earlier, killing four Israeli soldiers and injuring no fewer than 60. At the start of the week, the terrorist organization indicated that “the resistance (…) promises the enemy”. The raid carried out “south of Haifa is only a foretaste of what awaits him if he decides to continue his attacks against our people”, she threatens. According to Palestinian doctors cited by Associated Press, the courtyard of a hospital in the Gaza Strip was then bombed by the Israeli army, killing at least four people and causing a fire in a camp for displaced people.
