Beirut's Southern Suburb Under Israeli Fire
An Israeli airstrike targeted a residential building at dawn on November 13, 2024, in Aramoun. ©Al-Markazia

Amid ongoing reports of international efforts to reach a ceasefire and a diplomatic solution, tension and escalation remain dominant between Hezbollah and Israel.

 

Images from a strike in the Rawdat al-Shahidain area in the southern suburb, Wednesday morning pic.twitter.com/oDifTnU9Bk

— This is Beirut (@ThisIsBeirut_)

 

Beirut’s Southern Suburbs

Israeli warplanes targeted Beirut’s southern suburbs on Wednesday morning with a series of airstrikes following warnings issued by the Israeli army for residents of certain buildings to evacuate.

The strikes hit areas in Haret Hreik, Lilaki, and Ghobeiry. One airstrike targeted a building near "Al-Zahraa Broasted" in Al-Msharafieh; It was the first time this area has been hit since the beginning of the war, causing panic among residents. Another strike targeted a residential building near the Sayyed Hadi Nasrallah highway.

The Israeli army spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, had earlier issued immediate evacuation warnings to all residents in the southern suburb area, specifically for buildings in Haret Hreik and Ghobeiry.  "You are located near Hezbollah-affiliated facilities and assets, which the IDF (Israeli army) will target shortly,” he said on his X account.

Following the warning, intense gunfire was reported in the southern suburb to alert residents, prompting a large exodus from the Chiyah and Ghobeiry areas, and causing monstruous traffic jams.

The Israeli army later announced it had eliminated three Hezbollah field commanders in Khiyam, Tebnine, and Ghajar in south Lebanon.  "Early October, Israeli Air Force targeted Hezbollah commander Mohammad Moussa Salah in Khiyam, who was responsible for numerous attacks on Israel and for launching over 2,500 rockets towards the Golan Heights, Upper Galilee, and other areas,” a statement said.

Israel also said it has killed Ayman Mohammad Nablusi in southern Lebanon last Sunday. He was the new anti-tank missile commander for Hezbollah’s Nasser unit in Hujeir. It also eliminated Haj Ali Youssef Salah, who served as Hezbollah commander in Tebnine."

 

South Lebanon
Moreover, Israeli warplanes bombed several southern towns on Wednesday morning. Most of these airstrikes targeted homes, buildings and shops, causing extensive destruction to both the targeted sites and surrounding areas.

At dawn, the Israeli army opened heavy machine gun fire towards the towns of Ramya, Aita al-Shaab and al-Qawzah in the central sector.

Warplanes also struck the city of Tyre, targeting several buildings. Civil Defense, health rescue teams and the Lebanese Red Cross worked to rescue eight injured people and recovered three bodies. They also cleared roads and removed debris to facilitate traffic.

Wadi Saluki and Wadi al-Ghandourieh were subjected to Israeli artillery shelling. In al-Mansouri, an Israeli drone targeted a rescue team clearing debris from a building destroyed by warplanes, killing a rescuer from the Islamic Health Authority and injuring a Civil Defense rescuer. Another civilian was killed, and several others were wounded in an airstrike on Burj al-Shemali, with rescue teams continuing to search for missing people under the rubble.

Reconnaissance, drone and fighter jets continued to fly over the villages of Tyre and Bint Jbeil districts, dropping flares over villages in the western and central sectors, extending to the outskirts of Tyre.

Aramoun

An Israeli airstrike targeted a residential apartment at dawn on Wednesday in Aramoun in the Aley district for the first time, killing eight people and injuring several others. 

The building sustained extensive damage across multiple floors. Panick-stricken residents fled their homes, seeking safety in the streets out of fear of further attacks. The search for missing people under the rubble continues.

Hezbollah

On its part, Hezbollah launched a salvo of rockets towards the Upper Galilee. The Israeli army announced that it has detected 20 rockets launched from Lebanon toward the Upper and Western Galilee in northern Israel, confirming that some could not be intercepted, but crashed in empty areas.

The Iran-backed group reported that it intercepted a "Hermes 450" drone in the airspace of the central sector with a surface-to-air missile and forced it to leave.