The arrival of US envoy Amos Hochstein in Beirut on Tuesday brought renewed focus to ceasefire negotiations, but violence escalated dramatically in several regions of Lebanon.
Beirut
At dawn on Tuesday, the Israeli Air Force launched an unannounced attack on the Chiah area in the southern suburb of Beirut, deviating from its usual pattern of prior warnings. A drone strike leveled a four-story building in Masbagha street, killing 2 and injuring 11 people, according to the ministry of Health reports.
Civil Defense announced the completion of rescue operations in Zokak el-Blat, following an Israeli strike on a Hezbollah operations center on Monday evening. The final report confirmed seven fatalities.
Southern Lebanon
Israeli forces intensified airstrikes on southern Lebanon, targeting multiple areas, including Bazouriyeh, Yohmor al-Shaqif, and Tyre. Explosions were reported overnight and early Tuesday morning, with sounds of the bombardment echoing as far as Nabatiyeh.
A raid targeting a building in Adloun on Tuesday left seven people injured.
In Maarakeh, rescue teams retrieved a body from the rubble of the building targeted by an Israeli raid on Monday night. The search is still ongoing.
Flare bombs were launched over Deir Mimas, which had already endured a series of air raids. The towns of Maroub and Der Qanun Ras al-Ain in Tyre, along with the villages of Tyre and Bint Jbeil, faced continuous strikes throughout the night.
Bekaa Region
In Western Bekaa, Israeli airstrikes targeted the towns of Lebbaya and Zellaya early Tuesday morning, escalating the violence in the region.
For his part, the governor of Baalbeck-Hermel, Bachir Khodr, revealed that the human toll had risen to 780 dead and more than 1,200 injured in the region, in addition to the destruction of hundreds of residential buildings.
"We are working to stock aid parcels and fuel oil in the Baalbeck region due to the slow transportation process hindered by security conditions and bureaucratic procedures," he stated on the airwaves of the Voice of Lebanon (VDL) radio station.
Finally, he affirmed that hospitals in the Baalbeck-Hermel region were operating normally, "receiving patients as usual."
Rising Death Toll of Health Workers
The United Nations issued a statement confirming the deaths of more than 210 health workers in Lebanon since October 2023.
Hezbollah
Hezbollah claimed responsibility for several attacks on Israeli military positions and settlements.
The group reported launching a drone offensive against military targets in Tel Aviv, as well as the training base of the Paratroopers Brigade in the Karmiel settlement in northern Israel. It claimed to have shot down an Israeli Hermes 450 drone over Taybeh in southern Lebanon using a surface-to-air missile.
Hezbollah also announced its fifth wave of rocket attacks, targeting Israeli military forces near Khiam in southern Lebanon, as well as the Israeli towns of Kiryat Shmona and Margaliot.
Israel
The Israeli army has reportedly uncovered large stockpiles of Russian-made weapons in Hezbollah warehouses in southern Lebanon, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.
“Some of the weapons, which include modern Kornet anti-tank missiles manufactured as recently as 2020, were sent to southern Lebanon in recent years from Russian stockpiles in neighboring Syria,” the report stated. It added, “Russia has long provided arms to Syria’s military, as well as controlled its warehouses in the country.”
Israel had been unable to confirm the flow of Russian-made weapons to Hezbollah until its forces gained ground in southern Lebanon.
Sirens were activated in central Israel on Tuesday after around five projectiles were identified crossing from Lebanon into Israeli territory, the Israeli army said.
"Following the sirens that sounded in the areas of Dan, Sharon and Menashe (central Israel), approximately five projectiles were identified crossing from Lebanon into Israeli territory. Some projectiles were intercepted, fallen projectiles were identified," the army said in a statement.
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