Sunday morning’s air strikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut significantly increased tensions in the region. Eyewitnesses reported numerous explosions that lasted for almost half an hour and bright flashes of red and white light that were visible from several kilometres away from the Lebanese capital. Israeli aviation conducted a series of targeted strikes on Hezbollah targets, including weapons depots and infrastructure facilities on the outskirts of Beirut, the Israeli army confirmed, Reuters reports.
The Israeli military said that before the strikes, measures were taken to minimise the risk of civilian casualties, including warnings to local residents. The strikes targeted sites considered key to Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed armed group operating in Lebanon.
For several days, Israel has been conducting intensive bombardments of Beirut’s suburbs, in particular, killing Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. According to Lebanese sources, his potential successor Hashem Safieddin may have been killed as well. The latter went missing after an Israeli air strike near Beirut International Airport on Friday. Although Hezbollah has not commented on the situation, his loss will be a serious blow to the group and Iran, which supports it.
Israel’s operations are not limited to the southern districts of Beirut. On Saturday, the army struck the northern city of Tripoli for the first time, and also conducted raids in southern Lebanon.
Civilian casualties and the IDP crisis
Before the escalation, the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah was largely confined to the border area between Lebanon and Israel. But the new wave of bombardment has caused widespread destruction and civilian casualties. Rescue teams have been unable to reach the sites of previous strikes due to the incessant air strikes that have been going on since Friday. The intensity of the shelling has forced many local residents to flee their homes.
This escalation takes place against the backdrop of Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip against the Palestinian group Hamas, which has been going on for more than a year, and further exacerbates the situation in the Middle East.
Israel continues to expand its campaign while preparing for possible new attacks by Hezbollah and its allies.
