Beirut/Jerusalem Israel has once again launched a large-scale attack in eastern Lebanon. Thursday’s attack killed at least 47 people. Israel is under pressure from U.S. mediators 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 a visit last Tuesday that a ceasefire was “within our grasp”. Meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz. But he did not immediately issue a statement.
It can be seen that there are still deficiencies that need to be resolved in the ceasefire negotiations. Senior Lebanese officials told Reuters that Beirut is demanding changes to the U.S. ceasefire proposal, including ensuring an early withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon. The diplomacy marks the most serious effort yet to end the conflict between Israel and the heavily armed Iran-backed Hezbollah, part of the regional spillover from the war in Gaza that began more than a year ago.
Attack on Syrian border area
Israel has launched its latest attack on the Lebanese-Syrian border area. Bashir Hodel, governor of Lebanon’s Baalbek-Helmel province, said that Israel’s attack on the Baalbek area killed at least 47 people and injured 22 others. He posted on Twitter that rescue operations were underway. This is an area bordering Syria where Shia Islamist Hezbollah dominates. Beirut was shaken and clouds of debris streaked across the sky as Israel launched about a dozen airstrikes on Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs. It was one of the deadliest airstrikes in Lebanon’s history. Residents have fled the area since Israel launched its offensive against Hezbollah in September.
The Israeli military said it targeted Hezbollah infrastructure and minimized civilian casualties through advance warning and other measures. Israel’s MDA medical service said a Hezbollah rocket hit a playground in the northern city of Nahariya, killing a 30-year-old man. (Reuters)
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