The Israeli military has confirmed it is conducting “precise strikes” in Beirut, intensifying the ongoing conflict in the region. According to witnesses cited by several news agencies, smoke has been seen and the sounds of blasts have been heard in the Lebanese capital’s southern suburbs.
Israel was preparing for a possible ground operation in Lebanon, its army chief said Wednesday as Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets across the border and a missile aimed at Tel Aviv that was the militant group’s deepest strike yet.
Addressing troops on the northern border, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi had stated Israel’s punishing airstrikes this week were designed to ”prepare the ground for your possible entry and to continue degrading Hezbollah.”
The U.S., France and other allies jointly called for an “immediate” 21-day cease-fire in the conflict that has killed more than 600 people to “provide space for diplomacy.”
The Israeli military has said in recent days it had no immediate plans for a ground invasion, but Halevi’s comments were the strongest yet suggesting troops could move in. Israeli said Wednesday it would activate two reserve brigades for missions in the north — another sign that Israel plans tougher action.
Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have steadily escalated since war broke out 11 months ago between Israel and Hamas, another Iran-backed militant group. Hezbollah has been firing rockets, missiles and drones into northern Israel in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and Hamas. Israel has responded with increasingly heavy airstrikes and the targeted killing of Hezbollah commanders while threatening a wider operation.
Nearly a year of fighting had already displaced tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border before the recent escalation.
Israel has vowed to do whatever it takes to ensure its citizens can return to their homes in the north, while Hezbollah has said it will keep up its rocket attacks until there is a cease-fire in Gaza, something that appears increasingly remote.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Israel and Hezbollah to step back, saying all-out war would be disastrous for the region and its people.
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati called on the U.N. Security Council to act immediately “to guarantee the withdrawal of Israel from all the occupied Lebanese territories and the violations that are repeated on a daily basis.”
Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon told reporters at the U.N. that Israel welcomes initiatives to broker a cease-fire and is “open to ideas.” But if diplomacy doesn’t stop Hezbollah attacks so residents of northern Israel can return home, he said, his country would “use all means at our disposal, in accordance with international law, to achieve our aims.”
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