Violence went on unabated on Friday with devastating Israeli airstrikes hitting Beirut’s southern suburbs for the fourth consecutive day, while strikes and fighting between Israeli troops and Hezbollah continued in South Lebanon, causing additional casualties among civilians.
Evacuation warnings were issued during the day and late afternoon by Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee, followed by intense raids on Ghobeiri, Haret Hreik and al-Hadath, inflicting significant material damages.
Adraee stated on his X account that the Israeli army completed a third wave of airstrikes on Beirut's southern suburbs “targeting several Hezbollah command centers.”
“In the last 24 hours, warplanes attacked a missile storage facility as well as 15 rocket launchers in southern Lebanon,” he added.
The National News Agency (NNA) reported on Thursday evening that a family of five, including three children, were killed in an airstrike that targeted their house in the town of Ain Qana in South Lebanon’s Iqlim al-Tuffah region.
Israeli warplanes also raided residential and commercial areas in Tyre and destroyed a major commercial center in Nabatieh and adjacent areas, killing several civilians, including six rescuers from the Islamic Health Society.
Hezbollah, for its part, claimed several attacks against Israeli forces inside the South Lebanese towns of Sa’sa and Maroun al-Ras, inflicting casualties among the troops.
According to al-Arabiya TV channel, Israeli units are attempting to advance toward al-Bayyada overlooking the Tyre coastline and Hezbollah positions in the western sector.
The United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs in Lebanon expressed concern over the alarming rise in casualties due to Israeli bombardments on residential areas.
According to the Ministry of Public health, the death toll has risen to 3,445 with 14,599 injuries.
UNIFIL
In another development, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said that a French peacekeeper was killed in a road accident near Chamaa on Friday, and three others sustained minor injuries as their convoy headed to the force’s Headquarters in Naqoura. According to the statement, UNIFIL medical staff and the Lebanese Red Cross provided on-site assistance.
Also on Friday, a shell landed inside the command center of the Western Sector and base of UNIFIL’s Italian unit in the town of Chamaa during Israeli artillery shelling of the area. This occurred after Israeli forces withdrew from the town, following an attack by Hezbollah.
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