BEIRUT (AFP) – Lebanon’s prime minister accused Israel of rejecting a ceasefire after the Israeli military bombed the Hezbollah stronghold of south Beirut for the first time this week yesterday.
At least 10 strikes hit the southern suburbs before dawn after the Israeli military issued evacuation warnings, with AFPTV footage showing explosions and clouds of smoke.
“The raids left massive destruction in the targeted areas, as dozens of buildings were levelled to the ground, in addition to the outbreak of fires,” Lebanon’s National News Agency reported, adding that strikes also targeted Aley, southeast of the capital, and Bint Jbeil in the country’s south.
The Israeli military said it continued operations against the Hezbollah in Lebanon and its Palestinian ally Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The strikes came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met United States (US) officials to discuss a possible deal to end the war in Lebanon, ahead of Tuesday’s US presidential election.Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned the “expansion” of Israel’s attacks, saying they signalled a refusal to engage in truce efforts.
“The Israeli enemy’s renewed expansion… and its renewed targetting of the southern suburbs of Beirut with destructive raids are all indicators that confirm the Israeli enemy’s rejection of all efforts being made to secure a ceasefire,” he said.
The strikes targeted Ghobeiry, Al-Kafaat, the Sayyed Hadi Highway and the area near the Al-Mujtaba Complex and the old airport road, the NNA reported.
Israel has intensified its bombardment of south Beirut while also conducting deadly strikes elsewhere in Lebanon.
Analysts said Israel’s campaign in Lebanon has put it in a position of strength to reach a deal.
On Thursday, Netanyahu told US envoys Amos Hochstein and Brett McGurk that any deal for a ceasefire with Hezbollah must guarantee Israel’s long-term security. The pair have since left for Washington, said a source familiar with the matter.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, who also met the Americans, emphasised “security arrangements” related to Lebanon.
A US-brokered plan reportedly under consideration would see Hezbollah withdraw 30 kilometres north to the northern side of the Litani river, with Israeli forces pulling back and the Lebanese army, supported by United Nations (UN) peacekeepers, taking over the border. Lebanon would be responsible for preventing Hezbollah from rearming itself with imported weapons, and Israel would retain its rights under international law to act in self-defence.
Since fighting in Lebanon escalated on September 23, after nearly a year of tit-for-tat exchanges which Hezbollah said were in support of Hamas, the war has killed at least 1,829 people in Lebanon, according to an AFP tally of health ministry figures.
The NNA said Israeli strikes on the eastern city of Baalbek on Thursday left six dead and destroyed homes. Six others were killed in raids on Maqna.
Hezbollah’s new leader Naim Qassem – who took over after Israel killed his predecessor Hassan Nasrallah – has not explicitly linked a Lebanon ceasefire to an end to fighting in Gaza, the group’s previous position.
“If the Israelis decide that they want to stop the aggression, we say we accept, but under the conditions that we see as appropriate and suitable,” he said this week in his first speech as leader.
