Lebanon news: Israel has killed 29 in Beirut and at least dozens more in a series of airstrikes across Lebanon, in what the military claims are attacks on Hezbollah centres situated in civilian areas, ANI reported.
The deaths include the toll increase from the flattening of a residential complex in Beirut's dense Basta area. The Lebanese Ministry of Health has revised its death toll to 29 from 20, and said rescue teams continued working late into the weekend to recover dead and injured. At last count, the ministry said 66 were injured in the incident, which saw an eight-storey residential building shot down to rubble at 4 am on November 23.
Besides the capital city, Israel also struck Shmistar in the Baalbek-Hermel region in eastern Lebanon, killing at least 13 people, including four children, and wounding another 13. The neighbouring towns also saw airstrikes that killed 11 people and injured 32, as per the report.
Another five were killed and 19 injured in Israeli bombardment of the port city of Tyre, it added.
What Israel's Military Says…
According to the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), the air force attacked 12 Hezbollah command centers in Dahieh, Beirut. These 12 centres allegedly included a Hezbollah's Intelligence Unit, coast-to-sea missile unit, and Unit 4400 — responsible for smuggling weapons from Iran through Syria into Lebanon.
“These command centers were used to plan, command, and execute terrorist attacks against Israel and monitor terrorist activity against IDF troops operating in southern Lebanon,” the IDF said in its statement.
Top Updates
- 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”, according to an AP report.
- The AP report cited two western diplomatic officials who described the disputed points for a ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanon. 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.
- Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Mminister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defence minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Mohammed Deif, for crimes against humanity and war crimes. Notably, the arrest warrants rely on ICC member states carrying them out and may not come to fruition if those wanted avoid countries pledged to follow rules.
- 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.
- 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.
- Gaza update: 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 Agencies)
