Violent strikes again targeted the southern suburbs of Beirut on Friday, a stronghold of Lebanese Hezbollah against which Israel is at open war, after Israeli calls to evacuate several neighborhoods.
In addition to the suburbs of Beirut, which are regularly bombed, the Israeli army called overnight to evacuate several areas of southern Lebanon, where it has been carrying out ground incursions against Hezbollah fighters since September 30.
Five rescuers affiliated with Hezbollah were killed there, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.
And in eastern Lebanon, where Hezbollah is also present, an Israeli strike killed the director of the Dar al-Amal hospital near Baalbeck, and six members of the nursing staff, in his residence located next to the health establishment, according to the ministry.
These strikes come as the WHO declared on Friday that nearly 230 health workers had been killed in Lebanon since October 7, 2023, deploring “an extremely worrying figure”.
Late in the afternoon, the Lebanese National News Agency (Ani) reported at least five new strikes, including two “violent” ones on two neighborhoods in the southern suburbs mentioned in the Israeli call to evacuate. .
According to the same source, large fires broke out after the strikes and buildings collapsed.
Ani had already reported in the morning and early afternoon strikes targeting five buildings, including two located on the outskirts of the southern suburbs of Beirut, in the still densely populated Chiyah sector in Ghobeiry, which is home to several shopping centers, again after calls to evacuate.
| © AFP Clearing rubble after an Israeli airstrike on a building in the Chiyah district, south of Beirut, on November 22, 2024 in Lebanon |
These calls were motivated by the nearby presence of “installations and interests linked to Hezbollah”, according to an Israeli army spokesperson, Avichay Adraee.
A video posted on social networks but not verified by AFP shows civilians rushing towards the exit of an upscale shopping center in Hazmieh, a neighborhood adjoining the southern suburbs, while an alarm and announcements sounded from above. speakers.
A photo taken by AFP shows a missile having largely destroyed an 11-story building in Chiyah.
Many people fled to the predominantly Christian neighborhood of Aïn el-Remmaneh, neighboring Chiyah, according to Ani.
The Israeli army said it had “carried out a series of strikes on Hezbollah terrorist command centers” in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
She added that she had “struck Hezbollah terrorist targets in the Tire region” (south) including “command centers” and “weapons storage facilities”.
For the first time on Friday, Israeli troops entered the village of Deir Mimas, about 2.5 kilometers from the border.
“Enemy reconnaissance drones” flew over largely deserted Deir Mimas, warning residents “not to leave their homes,” Ani reported.
The Israeli army tried to advance in several places along the border, notably in the town of Khiam, where Hezbollah claimed numerous attacks on Friday.
The pace of Israeli strikes accelerated after the departure of American envoy Amos Hochstein, who was visiting Beirut on Tuesday and Wednesday to try to achieve a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
After a year of cross-border firefights, Israel entered open war against Hezbollah on September 23, launching an intense bombing campaign in Lebanon, where more than 3,640 people were killed, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.
