️ The death toll from Israeli strikes on Lebanon this week has risen to at least 123 people, with 683 wounded, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. In a statement issued on Thursday, the ministry attributed the increase to what it termed the "Israeli aggression" on Monday, highlighting the severe human cost of the ongoing conflict.
️ Lebanese state media reported early on Friday that Israel launched air strikes on several towns in southern Lebanon, targeting Srifa, Aita al-Shaab, Touline, Sawana, and Majdal Selm, with another strike hitting the eastern town of Dours at dawn. These attacks are part of a broader escalation that has intensified humanitarian concerns in the region.
️ Hezbollah issued a warning for residents to evacuate towns within 5 km of the Israeli border, coming less than a day after Israel threatened people to leave Beirut's southern suburbs. This prompted a massive exodus from the densely populated Dahiyeh area, home to around half a million people, with the National News Agency describing the suburb as "almost empty" due to the displacement.
️ The Israeli military claimed to have conducted 26 rounds of strikes in Dahiyeh, allegedly targeting Hezbollah infrastructure, including the group's Executive Council headquarters and a drone warehouse. Hezbollah responded by stating that "your military's aggression against Lebanese sovereignty and safe citizens, the destruction of civilian infrastructure, and the expulsion campaign it is carrying out will not go unchallenged," signaling a readiness for further retaliation.
️ Hezbollah claimed responsibility for a wave of attacks early on Friday targeting Israeli ground forces, including those who have entered Lebanese territory in recent days. In a Telegram statement, the group said its fighters targeted Israeli forces in areas such as Maroun al-Ras and Kfar Kila within Lebanon, as well as Israel's Yoav military camp in the occupied Golan Heights and a navy base in Haifa port, though no immediate casualties were reported.
️ Israel has declared it will not evacuate its border towns and has deployed additional soldiers into Lebanon, purportedly as a defensive measure to protect nearby citizens. However, tens of thousands of Lebanese have fled their homes following Israeli threats, exacerbating a growing humanitarian crisis with displaced families seeking shelter on a Beirut beach—many for the second time after evacuating during a 2024 war between Israel and Hezbollah.
️ Reporter Zeina Khodr noted from Beirut that the humanitarian situation is deteriorating rapidly, with people seeking refuge "on the side of the roads on almost every corner." She emphasized that there are insufficient schools to shelter the hundreds of thousands forced to flee, quoting displaced individuals who said, "We are not animals, we are human beings, our children are cold." The Lebanese government has opened shelters and advised people to head north, but many lack transportation, including not only Lebanese but also Syrian and Palestinian refugees living in the suburbs.
️ Lebanon was drawn into the wider Middle East conflict on Monday when Hezbollah opened fire, sparking Israeli air strikes focused on Beirut's southern suburbs and southern and eastern Lebanon. The war has reignited fighting between Israel and Iran-allied Hezbollah fighters, with Israel launching a series of air strikes late Thursday into Friday in the southern suburbs of Beirut and other areas, further destabilizing the region.
Source: www.aljazeera.com