On Sunday, the Israeli Air Force carried out a raid on the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital Beirut, where they attacked the command centers of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement in the Dahiya district. It was retaliation for rocket fire by Hezbollah towards Israeli territory, reported the AFP agency and the Le Monde website.
- The Israeli Air Force hit Hezbollah’s command centers in southern Beirut with a retaliatory airstrike.
- Israel called on the residents of the city of Sur and its surroundings to immediately evacuate to the north.
- Hezbollah claimed responsibility for two Sunday attacks on Israeli troops in Lebanon.
- The new conditional ceasefire requires the withdrawal of Hezbollah from the border and the deployment of the Lebanese army.
- Tehran insists that any deal with Washington also include Lebanon’s security arrangements.
In addition, the Israeli army called on residents of the city of Sur in southern Lebanon, as well as the surrounding refugee camps and neighborhoods, to immediately leave their homes and move north of the Zahrani River.
Call for evacuation
In a message posted on the Telegram platform, the Israeli military’s spokesman for Arab media, Avichaj Adrai, said the evacuation call was related to “ceasefire violations” by the Lebanese pro-Iranian movement Hezbollah, and that the Israeli military was “forced” to take force against the group.
At the same time, the spokesman warned that “anyone who is in the vicinity of Hezbollah personnel, facilities or military assets is putting their lives in danger”, adding that the Israeli army has no intention of attacking civilians.
Hezbollah admitted responsibility
Meanwhile, Hezbollah on Sunday claimed responsibility for two attacks on Israeli troops that occurred in the early hours of Sunday morning in southern Lebanon. Israel responded to these attacks with retaliatory strikes that claimed at least two lives.
Observers generally note the escalation of the situation that occurred on Sunday night in the south of Israel. There, the Israeli army carried out a series of airstrikes and artillery attacks that targeted several villages, and at the same time there was an attempt by Israeli troops to advance on the ground towards the village of Majfadun. However, Hezbollah claims to have halted this advance with a rocket attack on advancing vehicles.
Tensions around the ceasefire
A cease-fire that was supposed to end fighting between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect on April 17, but has not been fully respected by either side. Both Hezbollah and Israel have repeatedly accused each other of violating the ceasefire, with each side justifying its attacks on the other’s violations.
Another conditional ceasefire brokered by Lebanese and Israeli emissaries was announced in Washington this week. It would require Hezbollah to cease fire, withdraw from the vicinity of the Israeli border, and for the Lebanese army to deploy its forces in new zones over which it would have sole control.
Hezbollah rejected the deal
However, Hezbollah, which dragged Lebanon into the Middle East war on the side of Iran on March 2, rejected the agreement and demands Israel’s complete withdrawal from Lebanese territory.
Despite the ceasefire, Israel continues to bomb Lebanon. The Lebanese state agency NNA reported on a series of Israeli strikes in the south of the country, some of which claimed lives.
Counterattacks and international diplomacy
Sunday’s attacks came a day after Israeli strikes on Saturday killed at least five people, including three Lebanese soldiers, Lebanese authorities said. Lebanese President Joseph Awn called the attack on Lebanese soldiers a “gross violation of Lebanese sovereignty.”
In an effort to end the fighting, the commander of the Lebanese army, Radulf Hajkal, traveled to Pakistan on Saturday, which is the main intermediary between the United States and Iran.
Tehran insists that Lebanon be included in any deal with Washington to end the regional war. A source familiar with the matter told AFP that Hajkal’s visit was linked to Pakistan’s efforts to resolve issues in the Middle East war negotiations.
