In a dramatic escalation of the long-simmering conflict between Israel and its neighbors, Israeli airstrikes pounded targets in Lebanon and Gaza on Friday, killing dozens of people and wounding scores more. The bombardment, which raised fears of a worsening humanitarian crisis, came as rockets fired from Lebanon crashed into Israel, injuring at least 19 people.
Deadly Strikes Hit Lebanon, Rockets Target Israel
According to the Lebanese health ministry, Israeli airstrikes killed at least 52 people and wounded 72 others across the country on Friday. The deadliest strikes hit the northeastern Bekaa Valley, where rescuers searched for survivors in the rubble of a collapsed building that had housed 20 people in the town of Younine. Twelve more people died in nearby Amhaz, with 31 others killed across at least a dozen villages.
As the death toll mounted in Lebanon, rockets launched from the country slammed into the central Israeli town of Tira before dawn on Saturday. Magen David Adom, Israel’s ambulance service, reported that the attack injured 19 people, two of them moderately. A photo released by the service showed damage to what appeared to be an apartment building.
Israel Targets Hezbollah, Hamas
Israel stepped up its offensive against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, which has been firing rockets, drones and missiles into Israel since the outbreak of fighting last year. The Israeli military said it hit Hezbollah weapons manufacturing sites and command centers in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
In Gaza, Israel pressed on with its bombardment of Hamas militants, who have controlled the territory since seizing it from the Palestinian Authority in 2007. Israeli airstrikes pounded central Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp, killing at least 21 Palestinians, including two young children. Strikes in other parts of the Strip killed four more people, bringing the death toll in Gaza to 25 on Friday alone.
Fears of Worsening Humanitarian Crisis
The surge in violence has deepened the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which has been under a crippling Israeli-Egyptian blockade since Hamas took power. UN agencies estimate that Israel’s ground invasion and bombardment of Lebanon has displaced 1.4 million people. On the Israeli side, about 60,000 residents of northern communities near the Lebanese border have also been displaced for more than a year.
“It’s an apocalyptic situation in northern Gaza right now – the sheer scale of the destruction and human suffering is almost impossible to describe.”
– UN Official
Dimming Hopes for Ceasefire
Despite a renewed diplomatic push by the Biden administration, hopes for a ceasefire appeared to be fading. After American diplomats left the region, Hamas doubled down on its longstanding demands for a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a permanent truce. According to a source close to the negotiations, Israel offered only a temporary pause in fighting and an increase in aid shipments.
As the civilian toll continues to rise on both sides of the border, international pressure is mounting on Israel and the militant groups to halt the bloodshed. However, with neither side showing signs of backing down, there are growing fears that the conflict could spiral further out of control, plunging the region into an even deeper crisis.
As the death toll mounted in Lebanon, rockets launched from the country slammed into the central Israeli town of Tira before dawn on Saturday. Magen David Adom, Israel’s ambulance service, reported that the attack injured 19 people, two of them moderately. A photo released by the service showed damage to what appeared to be an apartment building.
Israel Targets Hezbollah, Hamas
Israel stepped up its offensive against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, which has been firing rockets, drones and missiles into Israel since the outbreak of fighting last year. The Israeli military said it hit Hezbollah weapons manufacturing sites and command centers in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
In Gaza, Israel pressed on with its bombardment of Hamas militants, who have controlled the territory since seizing it from the Palestinian Authority in 2007. Israeli airstrikes pounded central Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp, killing at least 21 Palestinians, including two young children. Strikes in other parts of the Strip killed four more people, bringing the death toll in Gaza to 25 on Friday alone.
Fears of Worsening Humanitarian Crisis
The surge in violence has deepened the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which has been under a crippling Israeli-Egyptian blockade since Hamas took power. UN agencies estimate that Israel’s ground invasion and bombardment of Lebanon has displaced 1.4 million people. On the Israeli side, about 60,000 residents of northern communities near the Lebanese border have also been displaced for more than a year.
“It’s an apocalyptic situation in northern Gaza right now – the sheer scale of the destruction and human suffering is almost impossible to describe.”
– UN Official
Dimming Hopes for Ceasefire
Despite a renewed diplomatic push by the Biden administration, hopes for a ceasefire appeared to be fading. After American diplomats left the region, Hamas doubled down on its longstanding demands for a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a permanent truce. According to a source close to the negotiations, Israel offered only a temporary pause in fighting and an increase in aid shipments.
As the civilian toll continues to rise on both sides of the border, international pressure is mounting on Israel and the militant groups to halt the bloodshed. However, with neither side showing signs of backing down, there are growing fears that the conflict could spiral further out of control, plunging the region into an even deeper crisis.
