Israeli airstrikes kill 20 in Beirut as ceasefire talks falter, over 3,500 killed so far in Lebanon

At least 20 people have been killed on November 23, in continued Israeli attacks on Lebanon and its capital city Beirut, according to an AP report. Citing officials, the report said that Israeli airstrikes in central Beirut “continued without warning”, while there is yet to be any agreement around a ceasefire deal.

Further, Lebanon's Health Ministry said 66 people have been wounded in the city due to the strikes. Saturday's attack was the fourth in central Beirut in less than a week, it added.

The Attack

The strikes took place at 4 am on November 23 and shot down to rubble an eight-storey building in central Beirut. The attack also impacted the facade of nearby buildings and “crumpled” cars, the report said.

Walid Al-Hashash, a first responder with the Lebanese Civil Defense told the news agency, “The area is residential, with closely packed buildings and narrow streets, making the situation challenging.”

Hezbollah legislator Amin Shiri confirmed to AP that none of the outfit's officials were inside the targetted building. The Israeli Defence Forces did not comment, it added.

Full-on War

The escalation comes amid United States envoy Amos Hochstein's visit to the region to has out a ceasefire deal to end what started as an Israel-Hezbollah fight into “full-on war”, the report noted.

Over 3,500 Lebanese have been killed and 1.2 million (a quarter of the country's population) has been displaced, the ministry has said. Also, 90 Israeli soldiers and 50 citizens have died due to the conflict.

Besides Beirut, there was also an Israeli drone strike on the southern Lebanese port city of Tyre on November 23, the country's National News Agency reported.

Mohammed Bikai, spokesperson for the Fatah Palestinian faction in the Tyre area told AP that the dead were Palestinian refugees out fishing. “You can’t tell someone who needs to eat that you can’t fish,” he added when asked about Israel's warning to keep away from south Lebanon coast.

The ministry also said that another eight people, including four children, were killed in Shmustar town (east Labanon), five in Roumin village (south), and five in Budai village (northeast)

Cease-fire Talks in Limbo

The report cited two Western diplomatic officials who described the disputed points between Israel and Lebanon.

The present proposal calls for a two-month ceasefire during which Israeli forces would withdraw from Lebanon and Hezbollah would end its armed presence along the southern border south of the Litani River.

Thousands more Lebanese army troops would patrol the border area with United Nations (UN) peacekeepers, and an international committee would monitor the deal's implementation.

The officials said Israel wanted more guarantees that Hezbollah’s weapons are removed from the border area and said they refused to sign a deal that would not allow them to strike in Lebanon in case of violations. But Lebanese officials say such a clause would violate their country's sovereignty.

Gaza Update

• In northern Gaza, at least 80 people were killed on November 21 and 22, and at least dozens are trapped under the rubble, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Israel ahs denied knowledge of a strike near Kamal Adwan in northern Gaza and did not respond to questions, the report said.
• On November 23, at least six people, including three children and two women, were killed in Khan Younis, as per AP reporters and staff at Nasser Hospital.
• At least two women were shot dead on November 23while waiting in line for bread in central Deir al-Balah, eye-witnesses and relatives told the AP. No more details were available.
• The known Palestinian death toll from the 13-month-long Israeli assault surpassed 44,000 this week, according to the Health Ministry. It added that over 50 per cent of the dead are women and children. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.

(With inputs from AP)