BEIRUT: Israeli attacks on Lebanon escalated unexpectedly on Tuesday, about two hours before a scheduled meeting of Israel’s security cabinet to discuss and possibly approve a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah that, if ratified, would take effect at 6 a.m. on Wednesday.
Heavy missiles, some containing concussion bombs, rained down from low-flying warplanes in Beirut and its southern suburbs after residents were warned to evacuate. Towns in southern Lebanon and parts of the Bekaa were also targeted at the same time.
An Israeli alert warning people in Naqoura to leave the area immediately and move north of the Awali River raised fears that the intention was to destroy neighborhoods in the border town that had escaped damage during previous airstrikes.
In Beirut, without any advance warning, an airstrike hit a building in the Nowayri area housing displaced persons. It was close to a medical center affiliated with Khatam Al-Anbiya Mosque. As rescue teams worked to rescue survivors trapped in the rubble, initial figures from the Ministry of Health suggested that at least three people were killed and 26 injured in the targeted building, which partially collapsed, and neighboring properties.
Minutes after this attack, Israeli authorities issued 24 warnings to residents of the city’s southern suburbs. Within 10 minutes of these alerts, warplanes simultaneously attacked neighborhoods in Haret Hreik, Burj Al-Barajneh, Bir Al-Abed, Chiyah, Ghobeiry, Hay Madi, Jamous, Sfeir, Tayouneh, Old Saida Road, and Ouzai. Maps that accompanied the warnings indicated that most of the targeted locations contained residential buildings, cafes, restaurants and schools.
A security source said the raids destroyed or damaged more than 100 residential buildings, the greatest destruction in a single series of attacks since conflict between Israel and Hezbollah escalated 64 days ago.
The Israeli army said it hit “seven Hezbollah funds management and storage targets, in addition to Hezbollah command centers and Qard Al-Hassan (financial instituation) branches.”
Other attacks targeted Baalbek-Hermel governorate, where warplanes carried out strikes on Bouday, Yamouneh, Al-Ansar and Taraya. One raid targeted the area around a Lebanese army outpost in Douris, close to Dar Al-Amal University Hospital, which was hit last week. The head of the hospital and a number of doctors were reportedly among the dead.
Lebanese people posted messages on social media expressing their fears that Israeli authorities intended to take out their anger on Lebanon with constant attacks throughout the final day before a ceasefire agreement comes into effect.
Amid the unprecedented escalation, however, it remained unclear whether a peace deal would be reached or the negotiations would collapse, potentially resulting in further escalation.
Israel’s Army Channel reported that “Minister of Defense Israel Katz and the Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces Herzi Halevi approved plans to continue attack operations on the northern front.”
Following a meeting with the UN’s special coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, Katz issued a series of strongly worded statements in which he said Israel “will act against any threat, at any time and anywhere” and “we will call on the UNIFIL (UN Interim Force in Lebanon) to effectively implement the (ceasefire) agreement.”
He added: “Any rebuilt house in southern Lebanon that contains a terrorist base will be destroyed, any armament will be attacked, any attempt to smuggle weapons will be foiled, and any threat to our power and Israel’s citizens will be destroyed immediately.”
Israeli media reports stated that any agreement approved on Tuesday “will not be the end of the war but a ceasefire that will be evaluated on a daily basis.”
The head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, Mohammed Raad, said that “the Israeli enemy might act disingenuously to impose amendments to the ceasefire agreement … in order to end the resistance’s effectiveness.”
He added: “Any modification, whether it involves adding to or removing from the text of Resolution 1701 is something that no rational person would accept.”
Resolution 1701 was adopted by the UN Security Council in 2006 with the aim of resolving the conflict that year between Israel and Hezbollah. It calls for an end to hostilities, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon, the withdrawal of Hezbollah and other forces from parts of the country south of the Litani River, and the disarmament of Hezbollah and other armed groups.
The Israel Broadcasting Authority reported: “Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to a ceasefire agreement following US assurances to provide Israel with prohibited weapons.”
It said that “the call for residents of northern towns to return to their homes will occur two months after the implementation of the agreement” and “any indirect threat not addressed by UNIFIL forces will be dealt with by Israel itself, which will thwart any attempts to smuggle weapons to Hezbollah.”
In a report citing information provided by an unnamed official, Israel’s Channel 12 news said: “The agreement has now entered the phase of refining the wording and clarifying details without altering the essential terms, pending official approval."
Other media reports said the agreement stipulates “a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the areas they have entered in southern Lebanon within 60 days” to allow the deployment of the Lebanese army, while a five-member committee, with representatives of the US, France, Lebanon, Israel and UNIFIL, will oversee the implementation of the ceasefire.
Meanwhile, Israeli army radio reported that “forces from the Golani Brigade have reached the Litani River area, which is located 10 kilometers deep into southern Lebanon.” The military also said it had killed “Ahmad Sobhi Hazima, the operations commander in Hezbollah’s coastal sector.”
The Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon on Tuesday reportedly resulted in significant numbers of casualties, including women, children and the elderly. They included a 91-year-old shepherd called Qadduh, from Nabatieh, who was killed after he chose to remain in his home rather than leave.
Hezbollah, meanwhile, said its forces attacked “the settlements of Kiryat Shmona, Avivim and Al-Manara.”
The group also targeted “the Habushit site on the summit of Mount Hermon in the occupied Syrian Golan, and attacked the Ma’ale Golani Barracks with suicide drones.”
