Israeli airstrikes on Beirut and southern Lebanon have killed at least 14 people and wounded 39 others. The strikes targeted the southern suburbs of Beirut, killing four people, and southern Lebanon, where ten people, including a family of six, were killed. One strike hit approximately 100 meters from the Rafik Hariri University Hospital, the country's largest public medical facility, raising serious concerns about the safety of civilian infrastructure amid escalating hostilities.
Israel claimed these strikes were aimed at the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, which in turn purportedly fired a cruise missile at an Israeli warship 126 km off the Lebanese coast, though this claim remains unverified. The Israeli military stated it had begun striking Hezbollah infrastructure sites in Beirut's southern suburbs but did not provide evidence to support its allegations. The attacks come as part of a broader Israeli offensive in Lebanon that began on March 2, following Hezbollah rocket fire into Israel.
The strikes occurred a day after Israel threatened to hit the Masnaa border crossing between Lebanon and Syria, a vital trade route for both countries and a key gateway to the region for Lebanese people. Mazen Aloush, with Syria's General Authority for Borders and Customs, insisted the crossing, known as Jdeidet Yabous on the Syrian side, is exclusively for civilian use, but traffic was temporarily suspended due to the Israeli threat. This closure exacerbates economic and humanitarian challenges in Lebanon, already grappling with displacement and infrastructure damage.
According to Lebanese authorities, Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2 have killed more than 1,400 people, including 126 children, and displaced over 1.2 million. In the southern Lebanese town of Kfar Hatta, an Israeli strike killed seven people, including a four-year-old girl and a Lebanese soldier, after the Israeli army issued a forced evacuation order for the area. Additional airstrikes in southern Lebanon early Sunday killed at least three more people, as reported by Lebanon's National News Agency.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun reiterated his call for talks with Israel, proposing negotiations to prevent further destruction in southern Lebanon on the scale seen in Israel's war on Gaza. In a televised address, he questioned, "Why don't we negotiate… until we can at least save the homes that have not yet been destroyed?" This appeal comes as Israeli troops advance deeper into southern Lebanon, destroying villages and intensifying the humanitarian crisis, with regional stability further undermined by the ongoing conflict.
Source: www.aljazeera.com