Israel Relentlessly Pounds Lebanon, Strikes Palestinian Refugee Camp

Israel escalated its bombardment in Lebanon on Saturday, launching a dozen airstrikes on Beirut's southern suburbs and targeting a Palestinian refugee camp in the north for the first time.

Lebanese officials described some of the strikes as "very violent," according to local media reports.

Photo Credit: PTI

Lebanon's National News Agency, as cited by AFP, stated that "Israeli enemy warplanes carried out four very violent strikes on (Beirut's) southern suburbs, and one strike on the Chweifat" area, with ambulances rushing to the scene.

The intensified attacks follow Israeli media reports that the military is preparing for a "significant" offensive against Tehran after about 200 missiles were fired at Israeli targets earlier in the week.

Here are the latest developments in the Lebanon crisis:

- The Israeli strikes on Saturday night shook Beirut, with explosions heard across the city and red and white flashes lighting the sky for nearly 30 minutes. These strikes came amid several days of bombardment by Israel of Beirut, which is known as a Hezbollah stronghold, the Iran-backed armed group.

- The Israeli military reported that more than 400 Hezbollah fighters have been killed since its ground operations began in southern Lebanon. "Since the beginning of the (ground) manoeuvre, forces have eliminated some 440 terrorists from the ground and from the air, including 30 commanders of various ranks," Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari stated during a televised briefing.

- As the strikes continue, the Israeli army renewed its call for residents to evacuate Beirut's southern suburbs. "For your safety and that of your family members, you must immediately evacuate the designated buildings and those adjacent to them and move away from them at least 500 metres," spokesperson Avichay Adraee said, quoted by AFP.

- Lebanese officials said that Hashem Safiddine, the potential successor to Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, has been out of contact since Friday, according to Reuters. Israel had launched a major strike on Beirut's southern suburbs on Thursday night, which may have been aimed at Safiddine, in its campaign against the Iran-backed group.

- Thousands of people in Lebanon, including Palestinian refugees, continue to flee the expanding conflict, while rallies were held globally to mark the approaching anniversary of the war in Gaza.

- The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) announced on Saturday that they had dismantled a 250-metre-long terrorist tunnel in southern Lebanon, which was reportedly intended for use in an invasion of Israel by Hezbollah's Radwan Forces.

- Israel remains on high alert ahead of the anniversary of Hamas's October 7 attack, which killed at least 1,200 Israelis and sparked the current large-scale conflict. Speaking ahead of October 7, Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a televised briefing: "We are prepared with increased forces in anticipation for this day when there could be attacks on the home front."

- French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday called for a halt to arms deliveries to Israel for use in Gaza, and criticised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to expand ground operations into Lebanon.

- Macron's remarks drew a strong reaction from Netanyahu, who condemned them as "a shame." Netanyahu stated, "As Israel fights the forces of barbarism led by Iran, all civilised countries should be standing firmly by Israel's side. Yet President Macron and some other western leaders are now calling for an arms embargo against Israel. Shame on them. Is Iran imposing an arms embargo on Hezbollah, on the Houthis, on Hamas and on its other proxies? Of course not. The axis of terror stands together, but countries that supposedly oppose this terror axis call for an arms embargo on Israel. What a disgrace."

- Under the directives of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE launched a national relief campaign to support Lebanon and its "brotherly people" amidst the ongoing escalation, reported ANI. Following the President's directive for an urgent $100 million relief package for Lebanon, the UAE, in coordination with the World Health Organisation (WHO), sent an aircraft carrying 40 tonnes of emergency medical supplies to Lebanon.

(With agency inputs)