BEIRUT: The Lebanese capital braved one of the most brutal nights in the present conflict on Thursday when Israel unleashed a wave of air strikes on Hezbollah’s southern Beirut stronghold, levelling six buildings in 17 attacks.

Israel carried out air strikes in Syria as well, hitting a residential building in Damascus and a military site in Homs which killed a soldier.

The strikes came after United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on a visit to Israel, told the US ally to avoid further “escalation with Iran”.

Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported 17 Israeli strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs on Wednesday night and Thursday morning, calling the bombing “the most violent” in the area since the beginning of the Israeli bombardment.

Three Lebanese soldiers killed when they were evacuating wounded people

Six buildings were destroyed around the suburb of Laylaki, NNA said, including a resi­dential complex hit by four Israeli strikes, “causing a large fire”.

Television footage showed a massive explosion followed by smaller blasts in the embattled suburb after the Israeli army issued an Arabic-language evacuation warning for the area, where Hezbollah holds sway.

There was no warning, however, for a strike that hit the Jnah neighbourhood in southern Beirut. That strike killed one person and wounded five others.

Attack on Lebanese troops

An Israeli strike killed three Lebanese troops in south Leb­anon on Thursday as France hosted a conference to rally support for Lebanese state forces which are seen as vital to any diplomatic resolution of the war between Israel and Hez­bollah.

The Lebanese soldiers were killed as they were evacuating wounded people on the outskirts of southern village of Yater, the Lebanese army said. They were killed at around 4:15am, a security source said.

There was no immediate comment on the strike from the Israeli military, which has previously said it is not operating against the Lebanese army.

With more than 2,500 people killed in Lebanon and over 1 million forced from their homes, according to Lebanese authorities, the Paris conference aims to mobilise both humanitarian aid and support for the Lebanese military.

The Lebanese army, a recipient of US support, has little sway on the ground in Hezbollah’s strongholds in southern Lebanon. It recruits from across Lebanon’s myriad sectarian communities and has been regarded as a peace guarantor since the 1975-90 civil war.

Its deployment into the south is a key part of UN Security Council resolution 1701 that ended a 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel. The Paris meeting is set to reiterate that resolution 1701 should be the basis for a cessation to the current hostilities.

“There needs to be a ceasefire in Lebanon. More damage, more victims, more strikes will not enable the end of terrorism or ensure security for everyone,” French President Emmanuel Macron said. He said the conference would support the recruitment of 6,000 Lebanese troops and provide the army with key supplies.

Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Beirut could deploy 8,000 soldiers as part of a ceasefire plan but appealed for international financial support and training. “The storm we are currently witnessing is unlike any other, because it carries the seeds of total destruction, not only for our country, but for all human values,” Mikati said.

Influx

Intensified Israeli airstrikes on 23 September forced nearly 120,000 people to flee their homes within a week, according to UNHCR.

As of 20 October, that number has spiked to 809,000 displaced within Lebanon. A further 425,000 of whom around 70 per cent are Syrian refugees and about 30pc Lebanese are estimated to have crossed from Lebanon to Syria, as of 21 Oct.

Latest reports indicate that the rate of new arrivals across the Syrian border remains steady but has decreased compared to the initial phase of the influx.

In addition to the tragic loss of life and massive displacement, Lebanese and Syrians are experiencing a fundamental destabilisation of families and communities, compounding the previous multiple crises, UNHCR said in an emergency update.

It highlighted the need for a significant scaling up of sustained international support for both Lebanon and Syria to cope with the challenges and deliver emergency, lifesaving aid.

Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2024