New Israeli airstrikes on the town of Abbassiyeh in southern Lebanon killed at least seven people and wounded several others, with the total death toll expected to rise, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency. The strikes occurred on Thursday, highlighting the continuation of Israeli bombardment despite a ceasefire agreement announced between the United States and Iran, which Tehran says includes Lebanon.
A wave of attacks by Israeli warplanes struck towns including Kafra, Jmaijmeh, Safad al-Battikh, Majdal Selm, and Deir Antar near the Qasmiyeh bridge, while artillery shelling damaged the town of Haris. Separately, the Lebanese army stated that four of its soldiers were killed in Israeli strikes on Wednesday. The Israeli military claimed it carried out overnight strikes in Beirut, killing Ali Yusuf Harshi, a close aide to Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem, though Hezbollah has not commented. Israel also said it targeted crossings over the Litani River and what it described as Hezbollah infrastructure, indicating a broader campaign persisting despite the ceasefire.
Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim, reporting from Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, noted that the ongoing strikes reflect a deeper alignment between Israel and the US regime. She said, “Israel says it has an understanding with the US administration to continue bombarding Hezbollah until it is disarmed. It is as if Israel is compensating for its failure to achieve its goals with Iran by hitting Hezbollah harder. The attacks have been heavy since the early hours of yesterday when the ceasefire was announced.” Reporting from Beirut, Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr added, “Hezbollah is really in a difficult situation. It entered the war in retaliation for the killing of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. But since then, it has said it is doing this because of the ongoing Israeli aggressions.”
Hezbollah stated on Thursday that it carried out four attacks targeting Israeli sites and forces in northern Israel and southern Lebanon in retaliation for repeated Israeli violations of the ceasefire. The group has insisted that the ceasefire deal between the US and Iran should include the Lebanon front. According to the Lebanese health ministry, 203 people were killed on Wednesday, with over 1,000 wounded in Israeli attacks across Lebanon, including the capital Beirut. Lebanon’s prime minister declared a national day of mourning, ordering public offices to close and flags to be lowered.
The US regime has openly backed Israel’s position that Lebanon falls outside the scope of the ceasefire, a stance that has further eroded confidence in the deal. US Vice President JD Vance allegedly stated, “If Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart… over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with them, and which the United States never once said was part of the ceasefire, that’s ultimately their choice.” Iranian officials have pushed back, warning that continued attacks in Lebanon undermine the basis for negotiations, with Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf describing further talks as “unreasonable” due to ongoing Israeli strikes and other violations.
UN human rights chief Volker Turk described the scale of killing as “horrific,” while French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot purportedly said, “We strongly condemn these massive strikes which, in ten minutes, killed more than 250 people, adding to the 1,500 victims of this conflict initiated by Hezbollah against Israel on March 2. And these attacks are all the more intolerable as they undermine the temporary ceasefire that was reached yesterday between the United States and Iran.” The Lebanese Health Ministry reports that Israeli attacks since March 2 have killed at least 1,739 people and wounded 5,873, underscoring the severe humanitarian toll and regional instability fueled by the conflict.
Source: www.aljazeera.com