Israel expanded its attacks into southern Lebanon, shelling the southern outskirts of the capital Beirut, as the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah claimed a series of missile attacks on northern Israel, including near the city of Haifa.
The Israeli military announced on Monday that it had carried out 120 attacks “within an hour” against Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon. At least 10 Lebanese firefighters were killed in an earlier attack on the city hall near Bint Jubeir, and dozens of first responders have been killed in recent weeks, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. This is the latest example.
Israel also announced that it would soon launch an operation on Lebanon’s southern coast and urged residents to stay away from beaches and sea along a 60-kilometre (36-mile) stretch of the Mediterranean Sea.
Hezbollah said it had launched a series of rocket attacks in northern Israel, including “large rocket volleys” near the port city of Haifa and on Israeli military positions. The group later announced it had targeted areas north of Haifa with another rocket.
The first attack on Haifa left at least 10 people injured. It was the first attack on the port city since Israel and Hezbollah began a gunfight in October last year.
The Israeli military said in a statement that as of 5 p.m. (14:00 Japan time), approximately 135 rockets fired by Hezbollah had entered Israeli territory from Lebanon.
Earlier, Israel carried out more than 30 airstrikes overnight on the southern outskirts of Beirut, the heaviest shelling since September 23, when Israel began significantly escalating its attacks on Lebanon. , state news agency NNA reported.
Targets included gas stations and medical supplies warehouses on the main highway leading to Beirut airport, the agency reported.
Hezbollah said it also targeted Israeli forces in two villages on Lebanon’s southern border. The Lebanese organization said its fighters had “bombarded an Israeli military complex with rocket fire” in Maroun al-Ras.
Lebanese groups have reported several clashes in the Maroun al-Ras area in the past few days after Israel announced it had launched “targeted” ground raids in the area.
Hezbollah later announced that its fighters had “bombarded a mass of Israeli enemy forces with a barrage of rockets and artillery shells” in the nearby village of Brida.
The Israeli army announced that two Israeli soldiers were killed in border fighting, bringing the total number of Israeli soldiers killed in Lebanon to 11. It also announced that it had sent another division to participate in operations in Lebanon.
Lebanese health authorities say at least 2,083 people have been killed and 9,869 injured in Israeli attacks on the country over the past year.
“Massive displacement crisis”
Local authorities say more than 1 million people have been forced to flee, most from towns and villages in southern Lebanon.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said Lebanon was suffering a “massive displacement crisis” as a result of Israel’s intensified air campaign, and that some of the strikes were in violation of international law. .
Grandi made the remarks during a visit to Beirut on Sunday.
The United Nations has appealed for $425.7 million to respond to the humanitarian crisis. About 40% has been funded so far.
Grandi also said there were “numerous instances of violations of international humanitarian law in the manner in which the airstrikes were carried out, destroying or damaging civilian infrastructure.”
Two people who worked at Grundy’s agency were also killed in the strike.
Grandi said last week’s attacks that cut off access to the main border crossing between Lebanon and Syria also created obstacles for civilians trying to flee to safety. Escalating violence is forcing Lebanese nationals and Syrian refugees living in Lebanon to cross the border en masse.
The warning came after the Israeli military ordered people in more than a dozen towns and villages in southern Lebanon to evacuate. Israel’s evacuation advisory in recent days has been extended to the state capital.
In a post on X, Israeli military spokesman Avichai Adlai urged residents to flee north immediately, saying: “We will not allow you to head south… Any movement south will put your lives at risk.”
The latest set of evacuation orders targeted a total of 130 towns and villages across southern Lebanon.
“That’s a significant portion of the territory,” Al Jazeera’s Imran Khan reported from Hasbaiyah. “Right now, the Lebanese are very concerned about this because they have heard reports of Israeli forces concentrating on the border, including the call-up of reserve brigades. Looking at the scope of the evacuation order, I’m wondering what the actual definition of ‘Lebanon’ is, which is limited to Israelis,’ Khan said.
Meanwhile, a U.N. official told The Associated Press that Israeli forces are setting up forward operating bases near U.N. peacekeeping missions on Lebanon’s southern border.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the base was putting peacekeepers at risk.
The UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, said in a statement that it was concerned about “recent activities” by Israeli forces southeast of the Lebanese border town of Maroun al-Ras.
He did not go into detail about what Israel was doing, but said it was near site 6-52, where Irish peacekeepers are stationed.
This comes days after UNIFIL rejected a request by the Israeli military to vacate some positions before a ground invasion.
Hezbollah said it had ordered its fighters not to attack Israeli forces that had recently moved behind UNIFIL positions.
The group reported that “enemy Israeli forces are making unusual movements behind UNIFIL positions on the outskirts of the border village of Maroun al-Ras,” and urged its fighters to “take action to protect the lives of peacekeepers.” “Don’t take it,” he said, quoting a field commander. in their statement.
The group accused Israel of “trying to use UNIFIL forces as human shields.”
UNIFIL was created to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli soldiers from southern Lebanon after the 1978 Israeli invasion. After the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, the United Nations expanded its mandate and authorized peacekeeping forces to be deployed along Israel’s border.
