A fragile, Washington-brokered ceasefire has pushed to the brink of collapse following a wave of intense Israeli military bombardments across southern Lebanon and the capital city of Beirut.
The latest salvos represent the most severe escalation since the truce was established last month. Ground teams and local residents report heavy strikes targeting villages and major towns throughout the districts of Nabatieh, Bint Jbeil, and the Western Bekaa Valley, News.Az reports, citing Al Jazeera.
The escalation reached the capital on Thursday afternoon, with an Israeli airstrike hitting a residential apartment building in Choueifat, a southern suburb of Beirut located near the international airport. The strike sent thick columns of white smoke billowing over the neighborhood.
The surge in violence follows an official announcement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the military is expanding its operations to counter a recent spike in explosive Hezbollah drone attacks.
The military has pushed past its previously held 10-kilometer security buffer zone—known as the "yellow line"—and crossed the Litani River. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued sweeping evacuation orders for civilians, warning residents to flee north of the Zahrani River, effectively expanding the potential combat zone deeper into Lebanese territory.
According to the IDF, the air force has struck over 135 targets, including rocket launch sites, a training camp, and infrastructure nodes in the coastal city of Tyre.
The renewed hostilities have resulted in a rapidly rising casualty count on both sides:
In Lebanon: Local health officials report that dozens have been killed or wounded in recent days. Among the latest casualties were five people killed in a strike on a building housing displaced families in Sidon, and a family of six—including two children—who died when a drone struck their vehicle as they attempted to flee the coastal town of Adloun. A Lebanese army soldier was also killed in a drone strike near Nabatieh.
In Israel: The IDF announced that an explosive Hezbollah drone strike near the northern border killed one Israeli soldier and wounded two reservists on Thursday, bringing the total number of Israeli military casualties since the April ceasefire began to 11.
The sudden outbreak of heavy fighting comes at a critical diplomatic juncture. Military and political officials from both Israel and Lebanon are scheduled to arrive in Washington, D.C., on Friday to hold their first direct security talks aimed at salvaging the threadbare peace agreement.
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