▲ Devastation in Beirut suburbs due to Israeli bombings.Photo Ap
Chris Stevenson
The Independent
The newspaper La Jornada
Tuesday, September 24, 2024, p. 21
Beirut. Israel stepped up its airstrikes on Lebanon on Monday, killing 492 people and wounding more than 1,645, in the deadliest day for Lebanon since the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, health officials said.
Among the dead were women and children; thousands fled in cars and vans loaded with belongings and packed with passengers – sometimes several generations in one vehicle – from the south towards Beirut.
However, the capital also came under a new wave of attacks later yesterday, believed to have targeted Ali Haraki, commander of Hezbollah’s southern front.
The militia later issued a statement saying its leader survived the offensive. Ali Karaki is fine and, thank God, is in full health and well-being. He has been transferred to a safe place.says the message from the group, supported by Iran.
Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad told a news conference that the impacts hit hospitals, medical centres and ambulances. The government has ordered the closure of schools and universities in most of the country and has begun preparing shelters for displaced people from the south.
Impact on 800 targets
The Israeli airstrikes marked the most extensive attacks in nearly a year of cross-border firefights triggered by the Gaza war. The Israeli military said it had hit 800 weapons-related sites in southern Lebanon, the eastern Bekaa Valley and the northern region near Syria.
One strike hit a wooded area in Byblos in central Israel, more than 110 kilometers from the border north of Beirut. In response, Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets toward Israel, after launching more than 100 on Sunday.
The airstrikes have intensified pressure on Hezbollah, which suffered an attack last week unprecedented in history of the group, in the words of its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, when thousands of beepers exploded and walkie-talkies used by its militants.
Many attributed the operation to Israel and its Mossad spy agency, but Israeli officials have neither confirmed nor denied responsibility.
In another major blow, an airstrike in the southern suburb of Beirut last Friday targeting senior Hezbollah commanders killed 45 people, according to the Lebanese health ministry.
Hezbollah said the dead included 16 members of the group, including leader Ibrahim Aqil and another commander, Ahmed Wahbi.
On Monday evening, Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari repeated warnings urging residents to immediately evacuate areas where Hezbollah stores weapons, including in the valley. The warnings left open the possibility that some residents may be living in or near structures targeted for attack, unaware that they are at risk.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the people of Lebanon get out of the damage zone in a video message, saying: “Israel’s war is not with you. It is with Hezbollah. For too long, Hezbollah has been using you as human shields.
“He put rockets in their living rooms and missiles in their garages. These rockets and missiles are aimed directly at our cities, at our citizens.
Once our operation is over, you can safely return to your homes.
The events have brought an already heated region to the brink of full-scale war; there are fears that the attack could be a precursor to an Israeli ground incursion into Lebanon. The threat of open war has grown in recent weeks after nearly a year of clashes sparked by Israel’s conflict with Hamas, another Tehran ally, in Gaza.
However, an Israeli military official told AP that his country is focused on air operations and has no plans for a ground operation at this time. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said the strikes are aimed at curbing Hezbollah’s ability to launch further attacks on Israel.
The Lebanese Ministry of Health put the death toll from yesterday’s attacks at at least 492, including 21 children and 31 women. Another 1,645 people were injured. The ministry has asked hospitals in southern Lebanon and the Beeka Valley in the east to postpone surgeries that can be performed later. In a statement, it said the request is intended to ensure that facilities are ready to treat people injured by the attack. Expansion of Israeli aggression in Lebanon.
Imad Kreidieh, director of Lebanese telecommunications company Ogero, told Reuters yesterday that more than 80,000 robocalls had been detected on his network asking people to evacuate their areas.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stressed that actions will continue until Let us achieve our goal of returning northern residents to their homessetting the stage for a long conflict as Hezbollah has vowed to continue fighting until a ceasefire is reached in Gaza.
With information from Reuters and AP
© The Independent
Translation: Jorge Anaya
