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Israeli forces pounded southern Lebanon and the outskirts of the capital Beirut on Friday, killing at least five medics, and ground troops clashed with Hezbollah fighters in the south.
Israel has pushed on with its intense military campaign against the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah, tempering hopes that efforts by a U.S. envoy will lead to an imminent ceasefire.
U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein said this week in Beirut that a truce was "within our grasp". He travelled on to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz before returning to Washington, the news outlet Axios said.
His trip was aimed at ending more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah along Lebanon's southern border, which escalated when Israel ramped up its strikes in late September and sent ground troops into Lebanon on Oct. 1.
Israeli troops have fought Hezbollah in a strip of towns along the border and this week pushed deeper to the edges of Khiyam, a town some six km (four miles) from the border.
Hezbollah said it had fired rockets at Israeli troops east of Khiyam at least four times on Friday. Lebanese security sources told Reuters Israeli troops had also advanced in a string of villages to the west. They said Israel was most likely trying to isolate Khiyam before attacking the town.
An Israeli airstrike on a residence near Dar Al-Amal University Hospital in Baalbek province, northeastern Lebanon, killed the hospital's director, along with six of his colleagues, Lebanon's health ministry said on Friday.
Four Italian soldiers were lightly injured after two rockets exploded at a UNIFIL peacekeeping force base in southern Lebanon, a spokesperson for UNIFIL said on Friday.
Italian sources said an investigation was under way. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told Italian media that Hezbollah might be responsible for the attack.
Israeli strikes on two other villages in southern Lebanon killed five medics from a rescue force affiliated with Hezbollah, the Lebanese health ministry said.
The more than 3,500 people killed by Israeli strikes over the last year include more than 200 medics, the health ministry said.
Israel says its aim is to secure the return home of tens of thousands of people evacuated from Israel's north because of rocket attacks by Hezbollah, which began firing across the border in support of Hamas at the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023.
Israel also mounted more strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, a once densely populated stronghold of Hezbollah.
Abeer Darwich, a resident of a building that was hit in Beirut southern suburbs on Friday, had to leave her apartment immediately after an evacuation warning from Israel's military.
She stood watching while an Israeli strike pounded the high rise building into dust.
"Do you know that most of the apartments' owners took credit to buy those houses? Life savings are gone, memories and safety ... which Israel decided to steal from us," Darwich said .
Evacuation orders were issued on X for several buildings in the area on Friday. Reuters footage showed one of the strikes appearing to pierce the centre of a multi-storey building, which toppled in a cloud of smoke.
© Thomson Reuters 2024.
16 Comments
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WhenIfNotToday
Disgusting Zionist state doing disgusting things as expected from them.
NB
Hamas perpetrates unimaginable atrocities. Lebanon backs Hamas.
NB
If Israel wants to exist it has no choice but to ruin Lebanon completely.
deanzaZZR
hate speech ^
kurisupisu
It’s patently obvious that Israel seeks to raze whole residential areas of Lebanon and kill civilians, as it has done in Gaza.
Wick's pencil
If the world wants peace, it has no choice but to get rid of zionism.
Fos
NB
This is exactly why we have death and destruction. People void of any knowledge on the field making these kind of statements to defend Israel IDF indefensible mass killing.
NB
The extermination of Israel would lead to extensive destruction and death in the Middle East. Israel will not die alone.
sakurasuki
What about arrest warrant that being issued last week? That only count for Gaza not Lebanon so occupier still can attack Lebanon .
https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/situation-state-palestine-icc-pre-trial-chamber-i-rejects-state-israels-challenges
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Also more weapon and munition to come in the future, which just being approved by senate.
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5001339-senate-rejects-sanders-israel-weapons-resolution/
deanzaZZR
Just a friendly reminder that Israel is able to "pound southern Lebanon" because the USA enables the IDF to do this with a constant supply of bombs and missiles.
Wick's pencil
It's not just Israel pounding Lebanon, it's Israel and the US who are killing the Lebanese and Gazan people.
WoodyLee
""U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein said this week in Beirut that a truce was "within our grasp"."
What a Joke,
U can't wish for a peace agreement while supplying killing machine to an unleashed thug.
JeffLee
We have death and destruction because terrorists who have embedded themselves in a soverign country are continually firing rockets into another country where there are lots of civilians. What would your country do if it were on the receiving end?
Want the "death and destruction" to stop? Then pray that Hezbollah stops attacking its neighbor.
Dave Fair
unfortunately with trump coming to office in January, Benjamin Netanyahu is even more embolden to crush the Palestinians and Lebanese people, literally destroy their communities with no regard as to civilians or military casualties. I blame him and his government who permit these atrocities, not the Israeli people as a whole.
Benjamin Netanyahu must be held to account for the death and destruction he as mastermind. Maybe, just maybe, one day justice will prevail.
Zaphod
NB
Not all of Lebanon. Only islamist extremists who have hijacked the Lebanese government. Do you think the Maronites are in on the jihad against Israel?
The big picture has not changed. It is impossible to defeat the jihadist militarily. But it is possible to de-fund and thus weaken them, as Trump demonstrated before. As long as the money spigot to Hamas and Hizballah is open, this continues.
John-San
The jewish terrorist can ruin Lebanon yes and Hezbollah and Hamas will ruin Israel. But what left of Israel as in population will run, The Lebanese have been prepared knowing Israel will never settle for peace and 5000 dead IDF since the invasion of 1/2 km deep into Lebanon has the IDF as spent force. The only replacement are ultra ortherdoc who are refusing to hold a weapon. 13 months and not one objective declared has been achieved. The Zionist masterminds that allow Hamas to attack on 7/10 were super sure that this will trigger the reason to effnical cleans the occupied territories. How super sure are they now after 13 months of nothing but losses and a few hostages returned. LOL. Now they are looking down the barrel of having to deploy a nuclear attacks. And what happens after woulds. Iran will just cope it sweet because a nuclear attack by Israel will see nothing but international misery for the Jewish occupiers. There can only be a one winner in this outcome and Israel can decides between total annihilation or peacefully abandonment of the Middle East.
NB
Peaceful abandonment of the Middle East? Going to the sea? No. Israel will not die alone.