Hezbollah strongholds in Beirut’s southern suburbs were hit by several heavy airstrikes on Tuesday, as Israel’s newly appointed defense minister rejected any talk of a possible ceasefire.
The Israeli army said it has now destroyed most of the weapons depots and missile production facilities built up in the suburbs over the past two decades – including under civilian buildings.
The attacks hit the areas of Haret Hreik, Ghobeiry, al-Hadath, Bir al-Abed and Lailaki. Earlier, an Israeli army spokesman sent a warning on the social media platform X to evacuate areas in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
People in the area were seen jumping on motorcycles and running away in cars as the warnings came in. Panicked parents also rushed to pick up their children from schools.
Videos circulating on social media showed students screaming in a classroom as they filmed the black smoke on their phones.
The southern suburbs have been cautiously calm over the past two days. Security sources said Tuesday’s attack was the heaviest daytime airstrike on the area this month.
Deaths reported in Lebanon and Israel
In Lebanon, authorities say at least 29 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in several areas.
One attack in Joun, a village in the south of the country, killed twelve people. The state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported that a residential building where displaced people had taken refuge had been struck by Israel.
Across the border in northern Israel, two men were killed after a rocket hit near the coastal city of Nahariya, Israeli rescue service Magen David Adom and Israeli police said.
In Tel Aviv there was an emergency alert in the late afternoon after an attack from Lebanon. According to the army, three missiles were intercepted.
Earlier, the Israeli military said a drone strike had activated air raid sirens in Haifa, Acre and other areas. One drone reportedly hit the courtyard of a kindergarten in Haifa. No one was injured.
Since September, the Israeli military has vastly expanded its attacks in Lebanon, where it says it is fighting the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia. Warplanes have bombed targets across the country, often including in the suburbs south of Beirut.
No prospect of a ceasefire
Israel’s new Defense Minister, Israel Katz, ruled out a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah, contradicting media reports that a break could be imminent after more than a year of fighting.
“In Lebanon there will be no ceasefire and no delay,” Katz posted on social media platform X on Tuesday, after talks with the Israeli General Staff.
Katz spoke of the “major and powerful activities” that the Israeli army has carried out against Hezbollah, citing, among other things, the assassination of its leader Hassan Nasrallah.
These offered an “image of victory” for Israel, he said, adding that offensive activities must continue.
“We will continue to attack Hezbollah with full force until the objectives of the war are achieved,” added Katz, who served as foreign minister until a reshuffle last week.
He said Israel would agree to a settlement only if it granted Israel the right to continue the fight against terrorism in Lebanon and allowed for the disarmament of Hezbollah as well as its withdrawal to the area north of the Litani river, about 30 kilometers from the border with Israel. .
Israel has been fighting on several fronts for more than a year, against the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip and against Hezbollah in the north.
The fighting began after the massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023, carried out by Hamas and other Gaza Strip extremists, in which 1,200 people were killed and around 250 kidnapped.
Netanyahu delivers message to Iran
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once again addressed the Iranian people directly in a video, saying their leadership is wasting money on attacks on Israel that could be invested in their future.
A new Iranian attack would cost the country billions of dollars and cripple its economy, Israel’s prime minister said in a video message on Tuesday.
“I know you don’t want this war. I don’t want this war either. The people of Israel don’t want this war,” he said.
“There is one force that is putting your family in great danger: the tyrants of Tehran. That’s it,” Netanyahu said, referring to the regime of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The regime is obsessed with “destroying Israel, instead of building Iran,” the Israeli prime minister continued, adding: “What a shame.”
