Israel expanded its airstrikes in Lebanon on Saturday, targeting Beirut’s southern suburbs with a series of attacks and also hitting a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon for the first time. The strike on the Beddawi camp near Tripoli killed a Hamas military official, his wife and two young daughters, according to a statement from the Iran-backed militant group.
Later, Hamas confirmed that another member of its military wing was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley. It named the al-Qassam Brigades leader as Saeed Atallah.
The Israeli military announced that it had killed two senior Hamas military officials in Lebanon, including one near Tripoli. This came after the Israeli military demanded evacuations in certain areas, while Hezbollah reported ongoing clashes with Israeli troops along the Lebanon border.
This is part of a broader effort, as Israel has targeted multiple Hamas leaders in Lebanon since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict nearly a year ago. Additionally, most of Hezbollah’s top leadership has also been killed as fighting has escalated in Lebanon in recent weeks.
Smoke filled the skyline over Beirut’s southern suburbs, an area with a strong Hezbollah presence. Israel has stated its objective is to drive Hezbollah forces away from the border, targeting both commanders and military equipment.
Smoke rises after Israeli airstrikes in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
In the past two weeks alone, over 1,400 Lebanese, including civilians, paramedics, and Hezbollah fighters, have been killed, and 1.2 million have been displaced due to the intensified Israeli strikes.
Israel said on Friday that it targeted Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters in Beirut, following a series of strikes on senior figures in the militant group. Iran’s supreme leader condemned the attacks as counterproductive, while Israel continues to assess the damage caused.
Hezbollah, the strongest armed group in Lebanon, began firing rockets into Israel shortly after Hamas’s 7 October attack, expressing support for the Palestinians. Since then, Hezbollah and Israel have engaged in almost daily exchanges of fire, forcing tens of thousands of residents on both sides of the border to flee.
Families cross into Syria on foot, through a crater caused by Israeli airstrikes aiming to block Beirut-Damascus highway at the Masnaa crossing, in the eastern Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Last week, Israel launched a limited ground operation into southern Lebanon while ramping up airstrikes near Beirut and in other areas. Nine Israeli soldiers have been killed in the ensuing ground clashes, which Israel claims have resulted in the deaths of 250 Hezbollah fighters. On Saturday, the Israeli military reported around 30 projectiles had crossed into Israeli territory from Lebanon, most of which were intercepted.
US President Joe Biden suggested Israel should consider alternatives to striking Iranian oilfields, stating that Israel hasn’t decided on its response yet. Meanwhile, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged regional allies to resist Israel, calling Iran’s actions against Israel legitimate. An Iranian military official warned that if Israel attacks, Iran would target its energy infrastructure. The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, Unifil, announced it would stay in southern positions despite an Israeli request to relocate.
The Lebanese National News Agency (NNA) reported that at least six people were killed in more than a dozen Israeli airstrikes overnight and into Saturday. Israeli special forces are reportedly conducting targeted ground raids against Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon, dismantling missile launchpads, weapons storage facilities, and tunnel shafts used by Hezbollah near the Israeli border.
Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
In the past two weeks, nearly 375,000 people have fled from Lebanon into Syria, seeking safety from Israeli strikes, according to a Lebanese government committee. Despite Israeli airstrikes damaging the road leading to the Masnaa Border Crossing, thousands of people were seen crossing into Syria on foot.
Gaza war
Meanwhile, in Gaza, Palestinian medical officials reported that Israeli strikes in the northern and central regions killed at least nine people on Saturday. One strike hit a group in Beit Hanoun, killing five, including two children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry’s Ambulance and Emergency service. Another strike hit a house in the Nuseirat refugee camp, killing four people, as confirmed by Awda hospital.
Although the Israeli military did not comment on these specific strikes, it has consistently accused Hamas of operating from civilian areas. The Israeli military also issued warnings to Palestinians, urging them to evacuate along the Netzarim corridor in central Gaza, a key location in previous ceasefire discussions. Parts of the Nuseirat and Bureij refugee camps were told to evacuate to Muwasi, a designated humanitarian zone on Gaza’s shore. Many of these areas had been previously evacuated.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, almost 42,000 Palestinians have been killed during the year-long war, although it does not specify whether the deaths were civilians or militants. Around 90% of Gaza’s population is now displaced amidst widespread destruction.
(With Inputs from Associated Press)
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