Israel is not “looking forward to a land invasion” and says it prefers a “diplomatic” solution: the 354th day of war
Despite these statements, Israel’s Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, assured that the country has “more attacks ready” and guarantees that Hezbollah has suffered “extremely severe blows”, cited by the Times of Israel newspaper.
Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, also warned that the country will continue to attack the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah. “Anyone who has a missile in their living room and a rocket in their garage will be homeless,” he warned in a video published on the social network X (formerly Twitter). He further reiterated that Israel’s war is not against the people of Lebanon, but against Hezbollah.
Israeli attacks on Khiam, Lebanon
Anadolu
Netanyahu’s statement comes during an intense Israeli bombing campaign in southern and eastern Lebanon against what Israel says are ammunition and weapons that the Shiite group, an ally of Iran, hides in civilian areas to attack.
At least 569 people were killed, including 50 children, and 1,800 were injured in the attacks, according to the latest count by Lebanese authorities. This is the highest death toll since the last war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006.
The most recent attack that took place this Tuesday targeted a Hezbollah commander, Ibrahim Muhammad Kabisi, who Israeli forces identified as responsible for the Lebanese group’s missile unit. Israel claims Kabisi died in the attack.
Over the past two hours, Israeli jets have carried out a “series of extensive attacks” against targets in the Bekaa region and southern Lebanon, hitting missile launchers and infrastructure that the Army says are used to store weapons. In total, more than 300 projectiles were launched today from Lebanon, in northern Israel, according to the Israeli military.
On the other hand, Hezbollah reported having targeted an Israeli military base near Safed, in northern Israel, with two shots of 90 rockets. He also argues that the base in northern Israel serves as the headquarters of the Northern Command and carried out this action “in defense of Lebanon and its people.
Israel confirmed that three ‘drones’ were identified crossing from Lebanon to Israel, triggering sirens in coastal cities south of Haifa — more than 50 kilometers from the border with Lebanon, having intercepted two of them.
OTHER NEWS THAT MARKED THE DAY:
⇒ Hezbollah advised residents not to read QR codes printed on leaflets released by Israel with their cell phones. Through Lebanese television Al Manar, linked to the group, an appeal was made to the population, urging the destruction of the code, “as it is very dangerous and takes away all the information they have (on their cell phone)”. Israeli authorities have not commented on the matter so far.
⇒ Lebanese authorities announced that the country’s schools will remain closed until the end of the week for security reasons, due to Israeli attacks in the south of the country. More than a hundred public institutions are being used as shelters in Lebanon, where at least 16,500 people have been displaced due to bombings, according to the Lebanese government.
⇒ At least ten people died and another 11 were injured in an Israeli attack carried out against a residence in the Nuseirat refugee camp, in the center of the Gaza Strip, local medical sources told Spanish news agency EFE. In total, more than 20 people died today in the already devastated Palestinian territory
⇒ The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, stated that Israeli air strikes in Lebanon are “relentlessly” killing hundreds of people, lamenting the death of two employees of the agency he leads.
⇒ A United States Navy replenishment ship operating in the Middle East suffered damage in an incident that is being investigated, authorities announced today. A United States Navy official quoted by the Associated Press (AP) under the cover of anonymity, indicated that the damage occurred in the Middle East, but refused to specify the location of the tanker.
⇒ The UN has demanded that Israel not attack members of Hezbollah in Lebanon who are not actively participating in the fighting, otherwise it would violate international norms on warfare. Likewise, sending telephone text messages to people in Lebanon to stay away from places where Hezbollah allegedly hides weapons does not exempt the Israeli armed forces “from the obligation to protect civilians,” said Ravina Shamdasani, of the body responsible for UN Human Rights. She also highlighted that sending tens of thousands of messages of this type spreads terror among citizens.
⇒ The European Union’s head of diplomacy lamented “the alarming number” of deaths in Lebanon following the Israeli attacks. In a post on the social network X (formerly Twitter), Josep Borrell stressed that “the Security Council must play its role”. “We urgently need to stop the path to war. Both parties must implement an immediate ceasefire”, wrote the High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
⇒ The organization ‘Save the Children’ warned that more than 345,000 children’s lives were in danger from Israeli bombings in Lebanon and called on those involved in the conflict to take “immediate measures” to protect civilians. “Our worst nightmare is becoming reality. Lebanese children have been feeling the anguish of an imminent war since October”, according to Jennifer Moorehead, one of the organization’s leaders, quoted in a statement. At least 1.5 million children will be affected from today by the permanent closure of all schools in the country, which “will be opened as temporary shelters” for those massively displaced from southern and eastern Lebanon.
⇒ UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated that Gaza “is an uninterrupted nightmare that threatens to take the entire region with it”. “We should all be alarmed by the escalation. Lebanon is on the brink of the abyss. The people of Lebanon – the people of Israel – and the people of the world – cannot afford for Lebanon to become another Gaza,” he said during his opening speech at the debate on 79th session of the UN General Assembly.
CHARLY TRIBALLEAU
⇒ Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant accused the United Nations of neither recognizing nor fulfilling “its fundamental obligation – to prevent Hezbollah attacks.” In a message published on the social network X, he stated that “Hezbollah took Lebanon hostage” in response to António Guterres’ statements.
⇒ Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian promised that Iran will not abandon its Lebanese ally Hezbollah in the fight with Israel. “Hezbollah cannot stand alone against a country that is defended, supported and supplied by Western, European countries and the United States,” said Pezeshkian in an interview with North American television CNN, cited by the French agency AFP.
⇒ Ten Arab airlines suspended connections with Beirut international airport, the only one operating in Lebanon. Among the companies that suspended flights are Etihad, from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian and Emirates, from Dubai, according to the Spanish agency EFE. Other airlines, such as Air France, Turkish Airlines or the German Lufhansa, which usually operate flights to Beirut, had already announced the suspension of connections.
⇒ The UN mission in Lebanon is ruling out the withdrawal of its military and civilian contingent for now, but admits that there are plans for such a scenario if the situation in the south of the country, where it is deployed, continues to deteriorate. One of UNIFIL’s spokespersons, Tilak Pokharel, in statements to the Spanish agency Europa Press, specified that the UN will make the decision “based on the situation on the ground and in consultation with the headquarters and the countries that contribute troops.” Currently, there are more than 10,000 personnel deployed in Lebanese territory.
