Middle East Tensions Escalate: Israeli Strikes Target Hezbollah Strongholds in Beirut
By Timour Azhari and Ari Rabinovitch
The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah took a deadly turn on Thursday, as Israeli forces carried out precision airstrikes in Beirut, killing at least 15 Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon. This marked Israel's deadliest day on the Lebanese front in the past year.
The municipality building in Bint Jbeil, a southern Lebanese town, was targeted by Israeli forces, claiming the lives of the Hezbollah members. In addition, a massive strike on the Lebanese capital of Beirut killed seven staff members of Hezbollah’s Islamic Health Authority, including two medics. The explosion rocked the district of Bachoura, near parliament, bringing the violence closer to Beirut’s downtown core.
Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the U.N. special coordinator for Lebanon, described the atmosphere in the city on X, saying: “Another sleepless night in Beirut. Counting the blasts shaking the city. No warning sirens. Not knowing what’s next. Only that uncertainty lies ahead.”
This escalation follows a barrage of missile strikes from Iran on Israel the previous day, marking one of the most intense missile attacks ever by Tehran. While Iran's president warned against further military provocations, Israel and the United States vowed a robust retaliation.
Iranian Defiance and Wider Regional Conflict
At the Asia Cooperation Dialogue summit in Doha, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani called for a ceasefire, denouncing Israel's actions in Lebanon as "aggression." He emphasized that no long-lasting peace in the Middle East can be achieved without the establishment of a Palestinian state. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, speaking at the same event, warned that any military action against Iran or its allies would be met with "a decisive response."
Iran-backed Hezbollah has been at the center of the conflict, along with Yemen's Houthi rebels, who claimed responsibility for an attack on Tel Aviv. Although Israel intercepted the aerial threat, this marked the Houthis' continued involvement, targeting Israeli assets in solidarity with Hamas.
Humanitarian Crisis Deepens
Lebanese officials report that over 1,900 people have been killed, and more than 9,000 wounded in nearly a year of cross-border conflict, with the death toll surging in recent weeks. Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said that over 1.2 million Lebanese have been displaced due to Israeli airstrikes. Some displaced families have sought refuge in unconventional places, such as a former Beirut nightclub, once a hub for nightlife and now a temporary shelter.
The nightclub's former guest relations manager, Gaelle Irani, shared her heartache: “It’s overwhelming. So sad. But just as this was a place for joy, it’s now sheltering those in need.”
Fears of a Wider War
Israeli forces, bolstered by infantry and armored units, have expanded their ground operations in southern Lebanon, with growing concerns that the conflict could spill into a broader Middle Eastern war. Western nations are drafting contingency evacuation plans for their citizens in Lebanon, though large-scale military evacuations have yet to commence.
As the Middle East braces for further violence, the world watches, and regional tensions continue to rise.
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