As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to defy global ceasefire calls, including from its staunch ally, the United States, over 600 people have been killed in Lebanon since Monday as Israel continues its bombardment.
Lebanon’s health ministry reported that an Israeli airstrike hit the outskirts of Beirut on Thursday, killing two people and injuring 15, including a critically wounded woman.
The attack brought the total death toll from overnight strikes to 28.
Reuters also stated that the strike killed Mohammad Surur, a senior commander of Hezbollah’s air force unit, according to security sources.
Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV broadcast images of smoke rising from a building near Hezbollah facilities, where civilians also live and work.
The strikes have raised fears of a larger regional war, with escalating tension along the Israel-Lebanon border.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, addressing the ongoing U.N. General Assembly in the United States insisted Israel would continue to strike Hezbollah with “full force and we will not stop until we achieve all our goals.”
Meanwhile, the Israeli army conducted exercises simulating a ground invasion as a possible next phase of the conflict.
Israeli Air Force Commander Major General Tomer Bar in a video shared by the military said, “We are preparing shoulder to shoulder with Northern Command for a ground maneuver. Prepared, if activated. This is a decision to be made above us,”
After Netanyahu’s speech at the ongoing UN General Assembly, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, whose government includes Hezbollah elements, had hoped for a ceasefire, but Israel’s stance dashed those expectations.
Aid organizations in Lebanon are scrambling to provide relief as hundreds of thousands have fled their homes.
The U.S., France, and other allies have pushed for a 21-day ceasefire along the Israel-Lebanon border, while Israeli forces continue to target Hezbollah positions and arms transfers from Syria.
