Israeli jets escalate airstrikes in southern Lebanon

[ad_1] BEIRUT (AP) — Israeli jets struck a number of cities in southern Lebanon on Thursday after urging residents to depart, marking an escalation of their near-daily strikes on the nation.

The airstrikes got here hours after militant group Hezbollah urged the Lebanese authorities to not enter negotiations with Israel.

Israeli Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee warned residents in Tayba close to the border, Teir Debba situated simply east of the coastal metropolis of Tyre, and Aita al-Jabal in southern Lebanon, to flee 500 meters (about 1,600 toes) away from residential buildings they're concentrating on, which they are saying have been utilized by Hezbollah. It later issued extra warnings for the cities of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah and Kfar Dounin.

The Israeli army mentioned it focused army infrastructure for Hezbollah in these areas, together with “weapons storage services... constructed within the middle of civilian-populated areas.”

It accused the group of rebuilding its capabilities nearly a 12 months after a U.S.-brokered ceasefire went into impact that ended a monthslong warfare. Whereas most residents evacuated the threatened areas forward of the strikes, Lebanon’s well being ministry reported one individual wounded.

“We is not going to permit Hezbollah to rearm themselves, to get better, construct again up its energy to threaten the state of Israel,” Israeli authorities spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian mentioned at a briefing Thursday.

The strikes got here as Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and his authorities met in Beirut to observe up on a plan drafted by the Lebanese army to disarm Hezbollah and different non-state armed teams within the nation. Data Minister Paul Morcos mentioned, following the assembly, that the cupboard “recommended the progress (the military) has made... regardless of continued obstacles, foremost amongst which is the continuation of Israeli hostilities.”

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has been important of Israel’s strikes and ongoing occupation of 5 hilltop factors on Lebanese territory however has mentioned he's open to negotiations with Israel to finish the tensions.

Aoun mentioned in a press release after Thursday’s strikes that “each time Lebanon expresses its openness to peaceable negotiations... Israel intensifies its aggression.”

“Practically a 12 months has handed for the reason that ceasefire got here into impact, and through that point, Israel has spared no effort to exhibit its rejection of any negotiated settlement between the 2 international locations,” he mentioned. “Your message has been obtained.”

Israel says its near-daily strikes have focused Hezbollah officers and army infrastructure, whereas the Lebanese authorities that has backed disarming Hezbollah say the strikes have focused civilians and infrastructure unrelated to the Iran-backed group.

The highly effective group’s army capabilities have been severely broken in Israel’s intense air marketing campaign over the tiny nation in 2024, however Hezbollah have but to disarm and its chief Sheikh Naim Kassem has mentioned that the group will likely be able to battle irrespective of how restricted their capabilities is likely to be.

Each side have accused one another of violating the ceasefire, which nominally ended the newest Israel-Hezbollah warfare final November. The battle began after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led assault on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza .

Hezbollah started firing rockets into northern Israel in assist of Hamas and the Palestinians, prompting Israeli airstrikes and artillery shelling in return. The low-level exchanges escalated into full-scale warfare in September 2024.

Lebanon’s well being ministry has reported greater than 270 individuals killed and round 850 wounded by Israeli army actions for the reason that ceasefire took impact. As of Oct. 9, the U.N. human rights workplace had verified that 107 of these killed have been civilians or noncombatants, mentioned spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan.

No Israelis have been killed by fireplace from Lebanon for the reason that ceasefire. Hezbollah has claimed one assault for the reason that settlement took impact.

Additionally Thursday, the U.S. Treasury introduced a brand new set of sanctions that it mentioned goal “monetary operatives who oversee the motion of funds from Iran” to Hezbollah, together with by licensed and unlicensed cash exchanges retailers that it mentioned “fail to conduct ample screening on their prospects” and permit Hezbollah “to reap the benefits of Lebanon’s largely cash-based economic system to launder illicit cash.”

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Related Press journalist Areej Hazboun in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

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