Image credit, Reuters
Image caption, The Israeli military announced that they killed the head of Hezbollah’s rocket unit in an airstrike on Beirut, Lebanon, on the 24th. The image shows firefighters responding to the airstrike scene (24th)
September 25, 2024 11:56
Hugo Bachega, Middle East Correspondent (Beirut), David Gritten (London), BBC News
Israeli airstrikes targeting the Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah continued on the 24th. Lebanon’s Health Minister Firass Abiad stated that the ongoing bombings for two consecutive days have resulted in numerous casualties and that hospitals are struggling to cope, calling what is happening a “massacre”.
Minister Abiad told the BBC that the attack on the 23rd killed 550 people, many of whom were civilians, including children and women.
Israel has announced that it has targeted numerous Hezbollah positions within Lebanon. Israel has accused Hezbollah of hiding weapons in residential areas.
According to the Israeli military, they killed the head of Hezbollah’s rocket unit in the attack on the 24th. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Hezbollah is leading Lebanon towards the “brink of disaster”.
The Israeli military indicated that Hezbollah has fired over 300 rockets into northern Israel, injuring six people.
Both sides appear unwilling to back down; however, U.S. President Joe Biden emphasized at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on the 24th that a full-scale conflict would serve “no one’s interests” and that “a diplomatic solution is still possible”.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the world must not allow “Lebanon to become another Gaza”.
The current fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, sparked by the war between Israel and the Islamic group Hamas in the Gaza Strip, has been ongoing for nearly a year. Hundreds have died on both sides of the border, most of whom are believed to be Hezbollah fighters. The number of displaced persons has reached tens of thousands on both sides.
Hezbollah has indicated that it is acting in support of Hamas, which is fighting Israel in Gaza, and has stated they will not stop until a ceasefire is achieved in Gaza. Both Hezbollah and Hamas receive support from Iran and are designated as terrorist organizations by Israel, the United States, and the UK.
Brutal War Targeting Civilians
The airstrikes on southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley on the 23rd caused the highest death toll in Lebanon since the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.
During a press conference on the 24th, Minister Abiad stated that the death toll of 558 includes 50 children, 94 women, and numerous medical personnel. He also added that more than 50 hospitals are currently treating 1,835 injured individuals.
In a subsequent interview with the BBC, Mr. Abiad referred to what is happening in his country as a “massacre”.
“When you see the people who have been taken into the emergency room, it is clear that they are civilians. They are not combatants, as claimed by the Israeli side,”
“We have kept track of the victims of the attack. Our ambulances have transported them to hospitals,” added Mr. Abiad. “(The victims) were civilians doing normal things.”
Mr. Abiad compared the current hostilities to the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, stating, “There is no doubt we are facing a more brutal war, especially in terms of civilians being targeted.”
UN Points to Possible Violations of International Humanitarian Law
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) also sounded the alarm regarding the casualties from the airstrikes on the 23rd, indicating that the attacks may violate international humanitarian law.
The Israeli military had sent voice messages and text messages advising the people of Lebanon to evacuate from areas near buildings where they claim Hezbollah weapons are stored. When questioned about this by reporters, OHCHR spokesman Ravina Shamdasani responded that “just because civilians were told to escape does not mean it is acceptable to attack those areas knowing that civilians would suffer significant consequences.”
In southern Lebanon, thousands more tried to escape Israeli military attacks on the 24th, heading north, causing traffic congestion. What normally takes an hour to travel turned into a situation taking over 12 hours.
A 65-year-old woman, Mariam, taking shelter in Beirut, told the BBC that she moved overnight with 12 relatives in a small vehicle.
“We left together (the area). I did not want to give up my home. It is painful to let go of your home,” Mariam said. “We arrived here at 4 AM. The children were with us. It was because of the children that we left (the area).”
Image credit, EPA
Image caption, Hezbollah’s rocket attacks have caused damage in northern Israel, resulting in multiple injuries. The image shows firefighting activities (24th, Kiryat Shmona, Northern Israel)
Continuing Attacks on Hezbollah Until Residents Can Return to the North
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu stated during a visit to an intelligence base that Israel will “continue to attack Hezbollah” until it achieves its goal of allowing citizens who fled areas along the northern border to return.
He also emphasized regarding the people of Lebanon, “Our war is not with you.” He warned that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is “leading you to the brink of disaster.”
“I told you yesterday (the 23rd) to evacuate from houses where there are missiles in the living room and rockets in the garage. For those whose homes have missiles in the living room and rockets in the garage, there are no more homes,”
Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari noted at a press conference on the night of the 24th that Hezbollah has transformed southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley into “combat zones.” He stated that throughout the day, Israeli military aircraft continued to attack targets in those regions.
He also released videos alleging that secondary explosions were captured when multiple residential buildings were attacked, indicating that missiles and rocket launchers had been stored within those buildings.
Hagari explained that Hezbollah’s rocket unit chief, Ibrahim Qabisi, was killed in an airstrike on the southern outskirts of Beirut on the afternoon of the 24th. He also stated that at least two other commanders were killed.
Qabisi was described as a “key figure” involved in the operation of missiles and held “responsible for a series of attacks against Israeli territory,” Hagari added.
Hezbollah acknowledged on the messaging app Telegram that Qabisi had become a “martyr” in the airstrike.
The Lebanese Ministry of Health announced that six people were killed and 15 injured due to an “attack by the enemy Israel” that destroyed parts of the upper floor and some below of an apartment complex in the Gobayri district of Beirut.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah announced that its fighters launched rockets against dozens of Israeli towns, military bases, and munitions factories. They claimed to have used new rockets in attacks on the Israeli military’s special “Samson Brigade”.
In northern Israel on the 24th, sirens sounded throughout the day, and interception missiles from Israel’s air defense system “Iron Dome” were seen passing overhead.
According to military spokesman Hagari, some of the approximately 300 rockets fired by Hezbollah landed in Israeli territory, injuring six civilians and several soldiers, but most injuries were minor.