Israeli strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs as Lebanon’s displacement shelters overflow with over one million people fleeing the conflict.
SIDON: Israeli aircraft carried out new strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs early Tuesday. The attacks also targeted Doha Aramoun, south of the capital, wounding an Ethiopian woman.
Israel confirmed the strikes, stating it was targeting Hezbollah positions. This came a day after Israel announced the start of “limited” ground operations in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli military renewed calls for residents to evacuate a region stretching over 40 kilometres from the border. Around 14% of Lebanese territory is now under Israeli evacuation warnings.
Lebanese authorities said more than one million people have registered as displaced since March 2. This figure represents more than a sixth of the country’s total population.
Over 130,000 displaced people are staying in upwards of 600 official shelters. In the southern city of Sidon, far from the border, many are sleeping in cars parked along the seafront.
“Saida is full, we have no more capacity,” said Jihan Kaisi, director of an NGO running a school-turned-shelter. Her facility is crammed with more than 1,100 people.
“Lots of people are coming every day to ask for shelter but we don’t have space anymore,” she added. She reported the road from the south was blocked on Monday with people fleeing north.
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said displaced people “will not return to their homes” until the security of northern Israel is guaranteed. Lebanon was drawn into the wider Middle East war on March 2.
Hezbollah launched rockets towards Israel in response to US-Israeli strikes that killed Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Israel has responded with intense strikes across multiple Lebanese regions.
The Lebanese health ministry said Israeli strikes have killed 886 people since March 2, including 67 women and 111 children. A further 2,141 people have been wounded.
A separate strike in the Nabatieh region wounded five Lebanese army soldiers on Tuesday. One soldier was seriously injured, according to an army statement.
Israel’s military chief of staff Eyal Zamir said on Monday that “more than 400 terrorists have been eliminated so far”. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for rocket attacks on Israeli soldiers near border villages.
The group also said it launched rockets and drones towards the city of Nahariya in northern Israel. A man was wounded there by an explosion, according to Israeli rescuers.
On Monday evening, the leaders of Germany, Canada, France, Italy and the United Kingdom issued a joint warning. They said a large-scale Israeli ground operation in Lebanon “would have devastating humanitarian consequences”.
The Sun Malaysia
