The Israeli army returns to bomb the southern sectors of Beirut, strongholds of Hezbollahafter the Lebanese Shiite militia fired around fifty rockets during the night at Safed, one of the four holy Jewish cities together with Jerusalem, Hebron and Tiberias, located on a 900-metre hill in the Upper Galilee. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the attack, which caused no injuries but only minor damage to a building in whose courtyard a projectile had landed.
Belt of Fire
The Israeli army bombed a southern area of Beirut, in the Shiite sector of Haret Hreik, less than an hour after issuing an order to evacuate the area. “You are near Hezbollah-linked installations against which the Israeli army will act in the near future,” spokesman Avichay Adraee warned. A tall column of smoke was visible in the affected area. The target of the raid, the first on the Lebanese capital in several days, was an underground weapons depot in the Dahiyeh area.
Another raid on Nabatiyehin the south of the country, destroyed the municipality building, killing at least six people, including the city mayor, Ahmad Kahil. 43 people were injured. The local governor, Howaida Turk, spoke of “a kind of fire belt” in the area.
The UN special coordinator for Lebanon urged the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure. “Today, Israeli airstrikes hit the city of Nabatiyeh in southern Lebanon once again,” Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert said in a statement, adding that “civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected at all times.”
Tehran ready for “decisive” response
The Israeli military also announced the killing of the head of Hamas drone operationsMahmoud al-Mabhouh, in an attack in northern Gaza. In the bulletin, the army also reports the death of Islamic Movement militiamen in fighting and air attacks in Jabaliya, while in Rafah, in the south of the Strip, there were drone raids against “a cell” that was planning attacks.
L’Iranfor his part, assured the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterreswhich will respond “decisively” in the event of an Israeli attack. The Jewish State’s reaction has been awaited for weeks after Tehran’s missile attack at the beginning of October. “Iran, while making all possible efforts to protect the peace and security of the region, is fully ready for a decisive response to any adventure” by Israel, the Foreign Minister said Abbas Araghchi. After the visit to the Gulf countries and Lebanon last week, Tehran’s diplomatic chief will travel to Jordan, Egypt and Türkiye.
the Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian called for more pressure on Israel’s supporters to end conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon. “The president… called for more pressure on supporters of the Zionist regime to stop the killings” in Gaza and Lebanon, Pezeshkian said during a phone call with Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, Tehran reported.
Ankara: the international community sanctions Israel
The Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called on the international community to sanction Israel for its war actions in Gaza and Lebanon. “We have seen how words, diplomacy and politics have no effect. The time has come for sanctions, boycotts, the moment in which the international community must move to action and Israel pays a military, economic and political price. It is the only way to stop Israel’s massacres and genocide in Gaza is dragging the entire region towards catastrophe,” the head of Turkish diplomacy said.
Fidan, very active during this year of conflict, defined the position taken by the international community as “a failure” as well as warning against the risk that the operations in Lebanon and the tension with Iran will divert attention from what is happening in Gaza. Turkey imposed sanctions on Israel last April, first blocking the export of some products, then eliminating trade with the Jewish state. The Ankara government is, however, criticized by the opposition because Turkish infrastructure is still used by private international companies to supply oil to Israel, based on contracts stipulated by these with the Jewish State before 7 October 2023.