September 20th 2024.
On Friday, an Israeli attack on Beirut resulted in the loss of at least three lives and left more than a dozen people injured, according to health officials in Lebanon. This was the first time in months that Israel had targeted the Lebanese capital, and it was in response to Hezbollah's recent rocket attacks on northern Israel.
The Israeli military announced the strike, but did not immediately reveal the specific target in the southern suburbs of Beirut, which is controlled by the militant group Hezbollah. Lebanon's Health Ministry reported that three people were killed and 17 others were wounded in the attack. Local news networks showed footage of injured individuals being rescued from the remains of a destroyed building, and ambulances rushing to the scene.
The strike occurred during rush hour in Dahiyeh, just a few kilometers from downtown Beirut. It was a chaotic scene as people were leaving work and students were heading home from school. This escalation of violence came as the region waited for the promised retaliation from Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, for the bombing attack earlier in the week on pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to Hezbollah members.
Israel's strike on the suburbs of Beirut was rare and came after Hezbollah launched 140 rockets at Israel. According to the Israeli military, the rockets were launched in three waves and targeted areas along the border with Lebanon.
In response to the rocket attacks, the Israeli military struck areas across southern Lebanon, but did not provide details on the extent of the damage. Hezbollah claimed that their attacks were in retaliation for Israeli strikes on villages and homes in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli military reported that 120 missiles were launched at areas in the Golan Heights, Safed, and the Upper Galilee, but some were intercepted. Firefighters were working to put out fires caused by debris that fell in several areas. The military did not confirm if any of the missiles caused damage or casualties.
In addition, 20 missiles were shot at the areas of Meron and Netua, but most of them landed in open areas with no reported injuries. Hezbollah stated that these rockets were also in response to Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, not just the recent bombing attack on their communication devices.
On Thursday, Israel announced that they had struck "hundreds of rocket launcher barrels" in southern Lebanon, which were reportedly ready to be used to target Israel. The Israeli army also issued a warning to residents in parts of the Golan Heights and northern Israel to stay away from public gatherings and minimize movements, in anticipation of rocket fire that eventually came on Friday.
The exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah have been ongoing since October 8, but Friday's rocket barrages were more intense than usual. Nasrallah had previously vowed to continue daily strikes on Israel, despite the recent bombing attack on their members' communication devices, which he described as a "severe blow."
The bombing attacks have sparked fears that the violence will escalate into full-scale war. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied their involvement in the attacks. In response, Israel has increased their military presence at the northern border, escalated their rhetoric, and designated the return of displaced residents to their homes in northern Israel as an official war goal.
Meanwhile, the fighting in Gaza has slowed down, but casualties continue to rise. Palestinian authorities reported that 15 people were killed in multiple Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip overnight. This includes six individuals, including children, who were killed when an airstrike hit a family home in Gaza City. Another person was killed when a strike hit a group of people on a street.
Israel maintains that they only target militants and accuses Hamas and other armed groups of endangering civilians by operating in residential areas. The military, who rarely comments on individual strikes, did not have an immediate response to the reported attacks. According to Gaza's Health Ministry, over 41,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the conflict, with over half being women and children.
Israel claims to have killed over 17,000 militants, but has not provided evidence to support this claim. Additionally, over 95,000 people have been injured in Gaza since the beginning of the conflict, according to the Health Ministry. This ongoing war has caused widespread destruction and displaced around 90% of Gaza's population of 2.3 million people.
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