Israel is stepping up its campaign in Lebanon amid the US-Iran ceasefire dispute
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A wave of Israeli warplanes attacked Lebanon on Wednesday, killing dozens and injuring hundreds, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Health.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has condemned the escalation of violence, saying the latest attack amounts to a “massacre.”
The escalation continues despite a two-week ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran.
Approved by Pakistan, the agreement was meant to end the war that began when the US and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28 – causing Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militia in Lebanon, to attack Israel.
However, the terms of the cease-fire are disputed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that the agreement would not stop the Israeli campaign in Lebanon.
White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt also said Lebanon i it is not part of the ceasefire agreement the US has with Iran, according to Axios.
Their comments clashed with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who said the agreement included a complete cessation of hostilities, particularly in Lebanon.
Military pressure is mounting
According to Lebanon’s state news agency NNA, a series of explosions rocked Beirut as bombs hit several districts at once. In the south, the Israeli army continued its relentless attacks, including a pre-dawn airstrike near a hospital that killed four people.
The Israeli army also issued a series of emergency warnings to the citizens of Tyre, indicating plans to strike the southern city.
This follows what the military has described as the largest coordinated military strike to date.
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said his government remains committed to separating the Iran conflict from the Lebanon war.
Emergency services were at the scene on Wednesday after an Israeli strike in Beirut’s Corniche al-Mazraa neighborhood. Israel has said that the recently announced ceasefire in the US-Israeli war with Iran does not apply to its fight against Hezbollah in Lebanon, despite a Pakistani mediator’s assertion that the agreement covers Lebanon.
He said the aim is to change the reality on the ground and eliminate threats to the residents of northern Israel who have faced heavy fire throughout the war.
Backing this up, the Israeli Defense Forces chief vowed to “use every operational opportunity” to dismantle Hezbollah.
The attack on Lebanon drew concern from world leaders.
Prime Minister Mark Carney, French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other world leaders issued a joint statement on Wednesday calling for a permanent deal.
“This will be very important to protect the citizens of Iran and ensure security in the region,” the leaders said in a statement issued by a spokesman for the Council of Europe.
They noted that a ceasefire “would avoid a major global energy crisis” and should include Lebanon.
The group also pledged to “participate in ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” although it did not provide details on how that would be done.
Meanwhile, Iran’s UN Ambassador in Geneva Ali Bahreini warned in an interview with Reuters that continuing Israeli strikes in Lebanon will have “certain consequences.”
‘Dangerous transition zone’
In an interview with the Associated Press, the Minister of Social Affairs in Lebanon, Haneen Sayed, described the strikes in the capital as “the most dangerous conditions to change the situation.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel supports the US to stop fighting Iran but the agreement does not include fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“These hits are now in the center of Beirut… Part of the protected [internally displaced persons] from Beirut in this area,” said Sayed, noting that he recently drove to the affected areas.
He said the Lebanese government is willing to negotiate directly with Israel to end the conflict – a proposal made by the president earlier – but Israel has not yet responded.
“There are calls and efforts being made as we speak,” said Sayed.
