Beirut/Jerusalem Israel has launched another major attack in eastern Lebanon. At least 47 people were killed in the attack on Thursday. Israel is being pressured by a US mediator to step up operations against the Iran-backed Hezbollah group in a bid to advance ceasefire talks, a Lebanese official said. Meanwhile, US mediator Amos Hochstein said during his visit last Tuesday that a ceasefire is “within our grasp”. Met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz. But no immediate statement came from him.
It is clear from this that there are still shortcomings to be addressed for ceasefire talks. A senior Lebanese official told Reuters that Beirut has demanded changes to the US ceasefire proposal, including ensuring the early withdrawal of Israeli forces from south Lebanon. The diplomacy marks the most serious effort yet to end the conflict between Israel and heavily armed, Iran-backed Hezbollah, which is part of the regional spillover of the Gaza war that began more than a year ago.
Attack on areas bordering Syria
Israel has launched the latest attack on the areas bordering Lebanon and Syria. Bachir Khodr, governor of Lebanon's Baalbek-Hermel province, said at least 47 people were killed and 22 wounded in Israeli strikes in the Baalbek area. Posting on Twitter, he said that rescue operations are underway. This is an area bordering Syria where Shia Islamist Hezbollah is dominant. Beirut was shaken when Israeli airstrikes hit the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs about a dozen times, sending clouds of debris across the sky. It was one of the deadliest air strikes ever on Lebanon. Residents have largely fled the area since Israel launched an offensive against Hezbollah in September.
The Israeli military said its strikes were against Hezbollah infrastructure and that it had minimized civilian casualties through advance warnings and other steps. Israel's MDA medical service said a 30-year-old man died after shrapnel from a Hezbollah rocket hit a playground in the northern city of Nahariya. (Reuters)
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