Israeli forces carried out several large airstrikes Thursday targeting Beirut’s southern suburbs, a day after it launched widespread strikes in eastern and southern Lebanon, killing 52 people and wounding 161 others, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.
Thursday’s attacks included a strike near Lebanon’s international airport, which came after the Israeli military issued an evacuation order telling people to leave the area.
Israel’s military said it had conducted airstrikes against Hezbollah headquarters and military infrastructure in Beirut.
Also Thursday, the United Nations said five of its peacekeepers sustained minor injuries when their convoy in the southern town of Sidon came within proximity of an Israeli drone strike. The Lebanese Red Cross treated them at the location. Three Lebanese Army soldiers manning a checkpoint were also injured in the strike.
“We once again strongly remind all actors to ensure the safety and security of U.N. personnel and peacekeepers,” U.N. spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay told reporters. “We urge the parties to halt the violence immediately. We continue to support efforts towards a cease-fire and a diplomatic solution.”
More than 3,100 people have been killed in Lebanon in the 13-month-long conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, with the vast majority killed since hostilities dramatically escalated in mid-September and Israeli forces entered south Lebanon on October 1.
More than 1 million people have been displaced. Since September 23, the United Nations says the Israeli army has issued evacuation orders for more than 160 villages and over 130 buildings in conflict-impacted regions of Lebanon.
Gaza
Also Thursday, the Israeli military stepped up air strikes across the Gaza Strip and ordered more evacuations.
“Today, people staying in parts of North Gaza and Gaza governorates were ordered out yet again by the Israeli authorities,” U.N. spokesperson Tremblay told reporters.
She said approximately 14,000 displaced Palestinians are staying in that area in shelters and other sites.
Humanitarians are continuing to struggle to assist the population. As of Wednesday, the U.N. humanitarian office said the only U.N. assistance allowed into North Gaza since the start of the Israeli siege there one month ago were supplies delivered to hospitals during medical evacuation missions.
“The Israeli offensive is preventing Palestinians from accessing the essentials for their survival,” Tremblay said.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday that Israel had made some progress in getting assistance into Gaza but that more needed to be done.
Last month, the United States told Israel in a letter that it must take steps in the next month to ameliorate the humanitarian situation in Gaza or risk facing restrictions on military aid from Washington.
Specific steps
The letter noted specific steps the Israeli government had to take within 30 days, including allowing at least 350 trucks to enter Gaza every day and instituting pauses in fighting to allow the delivery of aid.
U.S. President Joe Biden will continue to work to end the war in Gaza and seek a resolution in Lebanon before leaving office in January, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Thursday.
The U.S. State Department will also work toward those goals, spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters Thursday.
"We will continue to pursue an end to the war in Gaza, an end to the war in Lebanon, a surge of humanitarian assistance," Miller said.
"The secretary [of state] continues to believe that an end to the conflict in Gaza is not just in the interests of the Palestinian people, but it is in Israel's interest," Miller added.
Despite the ongoing hostilities, the World Health Organization and its partners were able to evacuate 90 patients from Gaza, including 38 children, on Wednesday. The U.N. said more than three dozen of the medical evacuees have cancer and a dozen have severe injuries. Along with their companions, the patients were transferred to the United Arab Emirates and Romania for treatment.
More than a year ago, Hamas militants killed 1,200 people and captured about 250 hostages in an attack on Israel that sparked the current war. Israel says it believes Hamas is still holding 101 hostages, including 35 the military says are dead.
Israel’s counteroffensive in Gaza has killed more than 43,300 Palestinians, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count.
Hamas and Hezbollah have been designated terror groups by the United States and other Western countries.
VOA U.N. Correspondent Margaret Besheer contributed to this report. Some information came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
