Israeli army confirms 'targeted strike' on Beirut's southern suburbs: Day 355 of the Gaza and Lebanon war

This concludes our live coverage for today. Be sure to come back tomorrow for the latest updates on the wars in Gaza and Lebanon.

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Caretaker Lebanese Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi told Sky News that Israel was pursuing a "scorched earth" policy while asserting that "Lebanon's official position is to adhere to the need for a rapid diplomatic solution."

He stressed that "the negotiations between the heads of government and parliament represent a glimmer of hope for the Lebanese," and mentioned that "the initiative of the Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri, is part of a coherent national line."

Finally, he said that more than 55,000 people had been moved to shelters since the beginning of the week.

An Israeli strike targeted the surroundings of Nabi Sheet, in the Bekaa, reports L'Orient Today's correspondent in the region.

Another strike targeted the main road of the town of Younine. According to information from L'Orient Today's correspondent, this strike caused injuries.

Both villages are in the Baalbeck district.

The French embassy in Lebanon issued a statement on Wednesday in which it "deplores the death, which occurred last Monday, of an 87-year-old compatriot in a village near the city of Sour."

"The building in which our compatriot resided collapsed following a strong explosion that occurred nearby," the embassy added, without mentioning the cause of the explosion. "At this stage, we are not aware of any other French victims," ​​the statement concluded.

On Monday, Israeli army strikes in south Lebanon and the Bekaa left 558 men, women and children dead and more than 1,800 wounded, according to Lebanese authorities. In total, exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and the Israeli army have left 1,247 dead in Lebanon since October, "mostly civilians," they announced on Wednesday.

John Kirby, a spokesperson for the White House National Defense Council, said in an interview with Fox News that there was "no indication that Iran is interested in an all-out war in the region."

Photo provided by Mikati's press office

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, currently in New York, held a call from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who expressed solidarity with Lebanon and support for efforts to end the military escalation while adopting a peaceful solution to resolve the Middle East conflict.

The prime minister also met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to discuss bilateral relations between Lebanon and Iran, as well as the situation in the region.

According to L'Orient Today's correspondent in south Lebanon, the Israeli army bombed between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. the villages of Deir Serian, Ghandourieh, Kantara, Kherbet Selm, an area between Doueir and Ebba, BaraaSheet, Kfar Sir, Toul, al-Souan, Kfar Dounin, Srifa, Batooulieh, Kfar Hatta, Nmarieh, Deir Kifa, Selaa, Deir Qanoun and Ras al-Ain.

Between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m.: Tayr Felsay, Srebbine, Wadi Kfour, Tayr Harfa, Houmayri and once again Srifa.

Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said no Israeli ground incursion into Lebanon appeared imminent, and invited reporters to ask Israel questions about its operations and plans, Reuters reported.

President Emmanuel Macron's remarks at the U.N.:

"Hezbollah has been running the untenable risk of dragging Lebanon into a war for too long. Israel cannot, without consequences, extend its operations in Lebanon. France demands that everyone respect their obligations along the Blue Line. We will therefore act to make a diplomatic voice heard that is essential to spare civilians and avoid a conflagration in the region. We must not, we cannot have a war in Lebanon, there cannot be a war in Lebanon. This is why we urge Israel to stop this escalation in Lebanon and Hezbollah to stop its missile attacks on Israel. We urge all those who provide them with the means to do so to stop doing so. We have asked that the Security Council meet today for this purpose."

French President Emmanuel Macron announced that the new foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, will travel to Lebanon at the end of the week.

The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned more than a dozen entities and vessels for their involvement in transporting Iranian crude oil and liquefied petroleum gas to Syria and East Asia on behalf of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah.

Four ships associated with the fleet of Syrian shipping tycoon Abdel Jalil Mallah, who was sanctioned by the United States in 2021, and his brother, Louay Mallah, were among the vessels targeted in Wednesday's action, the Treasury Department said in a statement.

Louay Mallah was designated as a U.S. sanctions target on Wednesday. The brothers have “continued to use their maritime empire to support the malign activities of Iran and its proxies,” the Treasury said.

“Iran continues to rely heavily on the illicit sale of oil and liquefied petroleum gas by the Revolutionary Guard and Lebanese Hizballah to fund its terrorist proxies and destabilizing activities,” said Bradley T. Smith, acting undersecretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.

Drones from the Islamic Resistance in Iraq targeted the Israeli city of Eilat on Wednesday, the group said in a statement.

The Israeli army said it intercepted a drone launched from the East, reports AFP.

The United States does not provide intelligence support to Israel for its operations in Lebanon, a Pentagon spokesperson was quoted as saying by Reuters.

The United States and France are trying to reach an interim agreement to end hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said.

"I don't think we can reach a [general] agreement but some kind of interim agreement to avoid further escalation. That's what the United States and France are trying to do," Christodoulides told Reuters on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

Christodoulides said he spoke with Prime Minister Najib Mikati and French President Emmanuel Macron in New York, as well as by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"In recent days, there is a lot of deliberation to avoid a new escalation, especially with Lebanon. There is a diplomatic initiative by the United States and France," he said, adding that the meetings in New York on Wednesday would be crucial. "It is about avoiding a new escalation in order to give time for diplomacy to find a permanent solution," he added.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

"President Erdogan said that Israel does not respect basic human rights and is committing genocide in front of the entire world, stressing that stopping this situation and the humanitarian crisis resulting from the attacks is a humanitarian duty," his office said in a message posted on X.

Israel says it struck "more than 2,000 terrorist targets" in Lebanon in the past three days, AFP reports.

Kataeb Hezbollah in Iraq called for "increasing" and intensifying "operations" against the Israeli "enemy."

"We expect the Islamic Resistance factions in Iraq, which support Palestine and Lebanon, to increase the number and scale of their operations and the level of threat to the enemy," said a spokesperson for Kataeb Hezbollah, Abu Ali al-Askari, in a statement, referring to Israel.

Hezbollah has issued two new statements, announcing two attacks on Israeli positions.

The first targeted the Ramia site (opposite Ramieh) with "suitable weapons," while the second targeted the Branit barracks (opposite Rmaish) with "heavy artillery shells."

According to L'Orient Today's correspondent, the Israeli air force retaliated by bombing Ebba, west of Nabatieh, targeting a house that had already been hit before. Between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., it also struck an area between Hoch and Sour, as well as Houmin al-Faouqa, Bissarieh, Mahrouna, Burj al-Shemali, Masaken and Deir Aames. In Masaken, the strike hit an inhabited building and injured people.

After 8 p.m., the Israeli army bombed Ghandourieh, Kantara, Kherbet Selm and Zebqin.

In the Bekaa, in the last two hours, Israel struck Doures, the outskirts of Baalkbeck and Hermel, according to L'Orient Today's correspondents in south Lebanon and the Bekaa.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati held several meetings in New York on Wednesday, ahead of the emergency Security Council meeting scheduled for 1 a.m. (Beirut time).

According to a statement from the Grand Serail, the prime minister, accompanied by caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib, met with French President Emmanuel Macron, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.

Israel will use "force" in Lebanon until northerners return home, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

President Joe Biden said all-out war in the Middle East remains possible, but the prospect of a deal is also a possibility, according to Reuters. He also stressed the need for a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine.

The Israeli air force carried out three strikes on Adloun (Saida).

According to L'Orient Today's correspondent, the Israeli army targeted the following villages between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.: Odaisseh, Kfar Kila, Majdel Zoun (Marjayoun), Kafra, Yater (Bint Jbeil), Zawtar al-Sharqieh (Nabatieh and Bourj Shemali (Sour).

The United States and France are working on cease-fire proposals, but no significant progress has been made so far, according to three Israeli officials cited by Reuters.

The Israeli army's chief of staff told soldiers at a drill on the northern border to prepare for a possible "entry" into Lebanon, where the army has been carrying out multiple strikes after Hezbollah fired rockets into Israeli territory.

"You can hear the planes here, we are attacking all day, both to prepare the area for the possibility of your entry, but also to continue hitting Hezbollah," Gen. Herzi Halevi told soldiers from an armored unit, according to an army statement.

The French Consul General in Beirut, Eric Amblard, sent a letter to French citizens residing in Lebanon on Wednesday.

"At this stage, there are no plans to evacuate the French community," the consul said. "However, the situation remains uncertain and subject to rapid change. If such a decision were to be taken, you would of course be informed without delay ."

"I ask you to encourage any French people passing through that you may know to leave Lebanon as soon as possible and to register on Ariane," he added. He also invites the French in Lebanon to follow the embassy's recommendations on its websites and social networks (the accounts X @ConsulatFRLiban and @AmbaFranceLiban).

Since Monday, he adds, the consulate has activated a 24-hour telephone monitoring unit, whose number is that of the consular office (03 566 388).

The Biden administration is working on a new initiative that could lead to a temporary cease-fire in Lebanon and the resumption of negotiations on a hostage deal and a ceasefire in Gaza, according to senior U.S. and Israeli officials, Israeli media outlet Walla reports.

The United States could announce the initiative as early as today, Wednesday, the media outlet added, specifying that the discussions began two days ago, after a conversation between the White House national security adviser and Israeli minister Ron Dermer.

In a similar vein, Reuters news agency reports that the United States is leading a new diplomatic effort to end hostilities in Gaza and Lebanon, linking the two conflicts under a single initiative. According to the agency, details are being finalized at the U.N. General Assembly in New York. It cites "two Lebanese officials, two Western diplomats, a source familiar with Hezbollah's thinking and a source briefed on the talks."

In south Lebanon, two Israeli strikes hit the Shawakir area at the southern entrance to Sour and another area located not far from the Italian hospital in Bourj al-Shemali (Sour).

In the Jbeil district, the Civil Defense transferred two wounded people hit during the Israeli strike in Ras Osta. One of these wounded is a displaced person from south Lebanon and the other is a Syrian national, according to information from L'Orient Today's correspondent.

French President Emmanuel Macron will meet his American counterpart Joe Biden on Wednesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly to discuss the situation in the Middle East and Ukraine, France announced.

He will hold prior talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Israeli jets struck homes in Ras Osta and Beshtelida, two Shiite-majority villages in the mountains of the Jbeil district, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent. Ambulances went to the scene and smoke from the explosion was visible from Amchit, in the same district. 

According to the count of L'Orient Today's correspondent in south Lebanon, between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m., the Israeli army struck the villages of Mais al-Jabal (Marjayoun), Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil), Kfar Shouba twice (Hasbaya), an area between Haddatha and Haris (Bint Jbeil), Harouf (Nabatieh), Abbassieh, Burj al-Shemali, Burj Rahal, Mansouri and Hannieh (Sour).

Hezbollah announced the death of one of its members, Abbas Ibrahim Sharafeddine, born in 1977 and originally from Kfar Tebnit, in south Lebanon.

Hezbollah announced the death of one of its members, Abbas Ibrahim Sharafeddine, born in 1977 and originally from Kfar Tebnit, in south Lebanon.

Israeli strikes on Lebanon on Wednesday left 51 dead and 223 wounded, according to caretaker Lebanese Health Minister Firas Abiad, Reuters reports.

The State Security Directorate in south Lebanon said it investigated messages received by residents of two buildings in Haret Saida (Saida), attributed to Israel and calling on them to leave their homes within two hours in anticipation of planned bombings on their neighborhood, and concluded that they were false, according to a statement.

Earlier in the day, the Kahaleh municipality in the Aley district denied reports that Israel had dropped leaflets on the village, asking residents to evacuate their homes within two hours.

A series of Israeli airstrikes are targeting areas between Sohmor and Mashghara in the Western Bekaa district, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent.

The Israeli military said it struck 280 Hezbollah targets on Wednesday, including launch sites that were used to target Israeli communities, Haaretz reported.

Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri told London-based Arabic-language daily Asharq al-Awsat that the next 24 hours will be decisive in reaching a diplomatic solution between Israel and Hezbollah.

He said that he and the caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, currently in New York for the U.N. General Assembly, are increasing efforts in this direction in "cooperation with the United States."

Lebanon has at least 90,530 newly displaced people, according to the United Nations-affiliated International Organization for Migration (IOM), Reuters reported. About 40,000 of them are believed to be spread across 283 shelters or accommodation centers.

In Burj al-Shemali, in south Lebanon, a strike targeted ambulances of the Islamic Health Committee and al-Risala Scouts, respectively affiliated with Hezbollah and the Amal Movement. At least seven people near these vehicles were injured, including rescue workers and the mayor of Burj al-Shemali, Ali Dib.

He explained to L'Orient Today's correspondent in the south that the strike occurred "while he was with rescuers who were clearing the ruins of a targeted house." "Rocks and dust invaded the place," he said, stressing that he had only suffered minor injuries.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for two new strikes:

- Against Kiryat Motzkin, north of Haifa, with "salvos of Fadi-1 missiles." This is the second time that the party has struck this town today.

- Against an explosives factory in Zikhron Yaakov, south of Haifa, about sixty kilometers from the border, with "a salvo of Fadi-3 rockets." This site had already been targeted by the party on the night of Monday to Tuesday.

The Israeli army announced that two reserve brigades would be mobilized to carry out "operational missions" in the north of the country, on the border with Lebanon.

"This will allow us to continue fighting Hezbollah, protect Israeli citizens and create conditions conducive to the return of northerners," according to the army, quoted by Haaretz. 

The Israeli army said that it had attacked around sixty targets of Hezbollah's intelligence services:

"Israeli army warplanes, under the direction of the intelligence corps, attacked about 60 terrorist targets of Hezbollah's intelligence services," the statement said. "During the strikes, information-gathering equipment, command headquarters and other structures used by the enemy to shape the intelligence image were destroyed," the statement added.

The head of the Israeli army's Northern Command, Maj. Gen. Uri Gordin, said that the confrontation with Hezbollah had entered a "different phase" and that the Israeli military must prepare for a "ground operation," while addressing soldiers from the armored corps, Haaretz reports.

"The operation began with a very significant strike on Hezbollah's capabilities," Gordin said. "In light of the above, we need to change the security situation. We need to be very well prepared for operation and action."

The head of the Israeli Northern Command, Major General Uri Gordin, stated that the confrontation with Hezbollah has entered a "different phase" and that the Israeli army must prepare for a "ground maneuver" while addressing armored corps soldiers, according to Haaretz.

"The operation began with a very significant strike on Hezbollah's capabilities," Gordin said. "In light of this, we must change the security situation. We need to be very well prepared for maneuver and action."

The toll from the airstrike on Bint Jbeil has risen to four killed, according to an updated report from the Lebanese Ministry of Health. The ministry also reported two injured in the Israeli strikes on Maroun al-Ras and one in Ainata, in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli Air Force is currently conducting airstrikes on the localities of Tibnin (Bint Jbeil district) and Bnaafoul, near Saida. It has also targeted an unoccupied residence in Habboush.

Hezbollah announced the deaths of two members, "martyred on the road to Jerusalem." They are Mohammed Hussein Ali el-Rabah, born in 1990 and from Temnin al-Fawqa in the Bekaa, and Hussein Ahmed Aawali, born in 1974 and from Burj al-Barajneh in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

According to a total compiled by Reuters, based on data published by the Health Ministry, the number of people killed in Lebanon since this morning has reached 22. Among the numerous airstrikes conducted since the morning, fatal strikes occurred in Maaysara, a village in Kesrouan north of Beirut, Joun in the Chouf, Bint Jbeil and Tibnin in southern Lebanon, as well as in the Baalbeck-Hermel region.

According to information obtained by L'OLJ from a local source, the area around the strike site in Maaysara is now under a security cordon established by Hezbollah, making it inaccessible. It was not immediately possible to confirm whether the targeted individual from the Amro family was killed in the Israeli strike.

Hezbollah has claimed a new strike involving "salvos of missiles" against the village of Kiryat Motzkin, located north of Haifa, approximately 30 kilometers from the border.

Unlike the situation with Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah has significant stockpiles of munitions and can easily replenish them, which continues to pose a major threat to the Israeli home front, according to an analysis from Haaretz. In what it describes as a degradation of Hezbollah's capabilities, the Israeli army has destroyed medium-range rockets, cruise missiles and drones in recent days, as well as a significant portion of the organization's facilities intended to convert rockets into precision-guided missiles.

Reports a few days ago indicated that 50 percent of Hezbollah's launch capabilities — resulting from a massive increase in the militia's personnel since the 2006 war — had been destroyed.

Hezbollah reported its fifth strike of the day, carried out with "salvos of missiles" against the village of Sa'ar, located north of Nahariya on the Israeli coast, about seven kilometers from the border. For its part, Haaretz reported that two people were "moderately injured in Sa'ar from shrapnel from rockets" fired from Lebanon.

The toll from successive Israeli airstrikes in the Baalbeck-Hermel region has risen to seven killed, according to a statement from the Ministry of Health.

The Israeli military has reported that dozens of Israeli fighter jets have bombed more than 100 targets across Lebanon since the early hours of the day, adding that the strikes are ongoing, according to Haaretz.

Two people were lightly injured by shrapnel of a rocket fired from Lebanon that fell in Kibbutz Sa'ar, in northern Israel, Haaretz reported.

Lebanon's caretaker Industry Minister, during a tour of several pharmaceutical companies producing medications, serums and other medical supplies, stated that these companies' production lines are "operating at maximum capacity, in accordance with the emergency plan." He added, "Production is primarily focused on meeting the needs of those displaced from the South."

Israeli warplanes launched new raids around 1:20 p.m. targeting the villages of Shoukin and Nabatieh al-Fawqa in the Nabatieh district, according to our correspondent. Raids also struck the towns of Kfar Roummane and Bir Salasel in the same district.

Around 1:30 p.m., Israeli airstrikes hit the town of Kfar Joz, causing damage to the government hospital in Nabatieh. Additional raids targeted the main road in Nabatieh, near the Neimrieh junction. The strikes also hit a house in the town of Safad al-Battikh, also in Nabatieh. Local officials have so far been unable to establish contact with the residents of the targeted house.

Israeli airstrikes on Baalbeck-Hermal killed four people and injured 38 others, the Health Ministry announced.

The municipality of Kahaleh, in the Aley district, denied reports claiming that Israel had dropped leaflets over the village, urging residents to evacuate their homes within two hours. The information, published by the Saudi media outlet Al-Hadath, indicated that leaflets had been dropped on the Beirut-Damascus highway. In a statement to L'Orient Today, the municipality labeled the reports as "lies."

Since Monday, Israel has regularly been calling on residents of certain areas in Lebanon, primarily in the South and the Bekaa Valley, to leave their homes if they are located near buildings where Hezbollah weapons are stored.

The chief of staff of the Israeli army, Herzi Halevi, stated on Sunday that the death of Ibrahim Aqil had shaken Hezbollah. Israel claims its strikes also destroyed thousands of rockets and shells belonging to the group, according to Reuters.

However, two sources familiar with Hezbollah operations reported that the group quickly appointed replacements for Aqil and other high-ranking figures killed in the airstrike on Friday in southern Beirut. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah stated in a speech on Aug. 1 that the group rapidly fills gaps when a leader is killed.

A fourth source, a Hezbollah official, noted that the attack on communication devices incapacitated 1,500 fighters due to injuries, many of whom were left blind or had their hands amputated.

An Israeli strike on Tibnin this morning killed two people and injured 17 others, according to the Ministry of Health. The outskirts of the Tibnin hospital were targeted by Israeli artillery fire and airstrikes.

The Israeli strike on Bint Jbeil killed three people, the Health Ministry announced in a statement.

Philippe Lazzarini, the head of UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, expressed concern about the possibility of "a full-scale war" and the risk of Lebanon becoming similar to Gaza.

The Israeli strike on Ain Qana in southern Lebanon killed three people and injured 13 others, according to the Ministry of Health.

U.S. spokesperson at the U.S. Embassy Sama Habib told L’Orient Today that a message circulating on behalf of USAID asking people to stay inside their homes in anticipation of Israeli attacks “did not come from USAID or the U.S. Embassy.”

The toll from the Israeli strike on Maaysara in the Kesrouan heights has also been revised upward, with four killed and 18 injured, according to our correspondent in the region.

The injured have been transported to the hospitals of Jbeil, Notre-Dame Maritime, and Notre Dame des Secours.

According to rescuers contacted by our correspondent in the South, an Israeli strike on the center of Tayr Felsay has caused multiple casualties.

In the Bekaa, new Israeli bombardments have targeted Douris and the nearby village of Majdaloun.

The casualty toll from the Israeli strike on Joun, Chouf district, has risen to four killed and seven injured, the Health Ministry announced.

"I am saddened by the news from Lebanon, where intense bombings have caused numerous casualties and destruction in recent days, and I hope that the international community will make every effort to put an end to this terrible escalation. It is unacceptable," the Pope stated at the end of the general audience.

"I express my support for the Lebanese people, who have already suffered too much in recent history," he added, calling for prayers "for all the peoples suffering because of war."

The Ministry of Health of the Gaza Strip, announced Tuesday a new death toll of 41,495 in the Palestinian territory since the start of the war with Israel, now in its twelfth month, according to AFP.

At least 28 people were killed in the past 24 hours, the statement said, adding that 96,006 people have been injured in the Gaza Strip since the conflict began on Oct. 7.

Hezbollah claimed two new strikes:

- One against the village of "Hatzor," corresponding to Hatzor HaGilit, east of Safed and about 12 kilometers from the Blue Line. This strike was carried out with "dozens of missiles." According to the Israeli army, a strike near Safed targeted "an assisted living center" and caused a fire, with no injuries reported.

- The second strike targeted the "Northern Command headquarters" of the Israeli army at the Dado base, also with "dozens of missiles." This base is located in the Safed area in northern Israel.

According to the Israeli army, nearly 40 rockets have been launched from Lebanon since this morning.

The person targeted in the Israeli attack in Maaysara is Sheikh Mohammed Amro, a native of the village, and a Hezbollah official responsible for the Mount Lebanon and North sectors, according to our information.

The Islamic Resistence in Iraq, an Iran-backed insurgent group, claimed a drone attack, targeting the annexed-Golan Heights. “The Islamic Resistance confirms the continuation of operations to destroy the strongholds of the enemies at an escalating pace,” the group said in a statement.

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, stated on Wednesday that the recent deaths of Hezbollah commanders in Lebanon, killed by Israel, could not "bring the movement to its knees," according to AFP.

"Some of the effective and valuable forces of Hezbollah have fallen as martyrs, which has undoubtedly caused damage to Hezbollah, but this is not what could bring the group to its knees," he said during a meeting with military personnel and veterans of the Iran-Iraq war.

Three people were killed and nine injured in the airstrike on Maaysara, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. This remains a provisional toll, as searches continue through the rubble, our correspondent reports.

The targeted residence in Maaysara belongs to a member of Hezbollah, Ali Amro, who was previously killed, according to our correspondent. Amro was killed in an Israeli strike in Houla, on Aug. 4, 2024.

Israeli airstrikes targeted Nabi Aila in Zahle district, and Ain Bordai in the Bekaa.

Three Israeli strikes targeted Salihiya neighborhood in Nabatieh. Strikes also targeted Srifa, next to a medical Center, in the Sour district.

In Maaysara, a Shiite town of Kesrouan-Ftouh, the strike targeted an area near residential homes. According to information obtained from residents, the targeted house is believed to belong to relatives of a Hezbollah member killed in the South.

In videos obtained by our correspondent in the North, Michel Hallak, a huge plume of smoke can be seen rising after the bombing, accompanied by the cries of nearby residents.

Several violent strikes have hit Baalbeck, Nabi Sheet, Tweiti, Khoder, Khreibeh, Labweh, al-Ain, Nabi Othman, Hourtaala, and the heights of Brital in the Bekaa.

In the South, the heights of Jabbour and Rihan in the Jezzine district, as well as the areas around Nabatieh, Kfar Roummane, and Jibsheet, have also been struck. Bombardments have also been reported in Kfar Melki, Baissariyeh, Tefahta, and Kawthariyet al-Rez.

Israeli warplanes resumed their raids on the Bekaa region, targeting the town of Jurud and the town of Brital. Two Israeli strikes targeted the Nabi Sheet area, according to our correpondent.

Israeli strikes hit Joun in the Chouf district for the first time, our correspondent reported.

Another strike targeted the heights of Jbeil, in the vicinity of Nousseira and Zeitoun, according to our correspondent in the North.

View from Kfour in Kesrouan district. (Credit: Joelle El-Khoury/L'Orient Today)

Witnesses and local media report that an Israeli airstrike allegedly targeted Maaysara, in the Kesrouan region, north of Beirut. This village is located more than 100 kilometers from the border.

Israeli artillery fire and airstrikes struck the Tebnine hospital in southern Lebanon, also close to the local branch of the Red Cross, according to residents.

Illustration by Jaimee Lee Haddad

The Israeli army stated that the missile fired at Tel Aviv this morning was "a first" for Hezbollah, after it was intercepted by Israeli missile defense. "This is the very first time that a missile from Hezbollah has reached the Tel Aviv area. It was intercepted," a military spokesperson told AFP.

At the end of August, Hezbollah's Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah claimed that his fighters had launched a strike on Glilot, which was denied by the Israeli military.

According to information from several sources cited by our correspondent in the South, the Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon on Tuesday killed at least 10 people:

- Three in Qabrikha

- Three in Kantara

- One in Nmeyrieh

- One in Ansar

- Two in Aitaroun

This toll remains provisional and is based on information available from various sources. In this context, the caretaker Minister of Health, Firass Abiad, is scheduled to hold a press conference at 5 p.m.

The Agriculture Ministry announced in a statement on Tuesday the death of Qassem Ali Kallas, the technical veterinary assistant of the agricultural service in Nabatieh, killed by an Israeli strike.

"The martyr was an example of generosity and selflessness in service to the agricultural sector," the statement noted, praising the victim's efforts to successfully carry out his "national and technical" mission in a message of condolences to his family.

A strike on the town of Ansar killed one person, Hassan Assaad Awada, originally from Khiam, according to our correspondent.

Haaretz reports new warning sirens in the Zikhron Yaakov region, south of Haifa, as well as in the Carmel area, east of the major port city. The Israeli army indicated that five rockets were fired from Lebanon toward this area, with some being intercepted. "At least one" of these projectiles "landed in Israeli territory," according to the army.

Israel Electric Corporation, the largest power supplier in Israel, stated that Hezbollah targeted one of its "strategic infrastructures," which, however, was not damaged.

The Israeli army continues its bombardments in the South: a house in Bazourieh has been destroyed, and strikes have targeted Kfar Roummane, Jmeijmeh, Froun and Sawaneh.

A strike also targeted Saadiyat, a locality near Jiyyeh on the Chouf coastline.

Here you can find more details about this unprecedented bombing.

At 4 a.m., a series of intense raids targeted the localities of Tayr Debba, the surroundings of Abbasieh, Toura, Mansouri, and Deir Amas (district of Sour). Additional raids again struck Habboush, Ain Qana, and Maarakeh.

At 5 a.m., as the intensity of the Israeli strikes significantly decreased, a raid hit the locality of Kfar Kila (Sour).

Finally, at 7:30 a.m., the Israeli air force bombed a residence in the village of Namirieh and the square in Braasheet (Bint Jbeil).

After midnight, the airstrikes continued throughout southern Lebanon:

At midnight, several missiles struck the locality of Bablieh (Nabatieh). Explosions were heard throughout the south and as far as Iqlim al-Kharroub (Chouf). Raids targeted the villages of Braasheet (Bint Jbeil), Houmin, Ain Qana, Toul, and Habboush (Nabatieh).

At 1 a.m., a raid hit the Al Sajjad cooperative, affiliated with Hezbollah, in the locality of Majdelzoun.

At 2 a.m., the Israeli air force launched more raids on Iqlim al-Touffah, Deir Zahrani and Teffahta, and two raids struck the center of Haddata. Other raids also targeted the localities of Beit Yahoun, Aita al-Jabal, the outskirts of Hmaireh and Toura. Finally, a raid hit the village of Deir Qanoun al-Nahr.

Raids also struck the villages of Kfar Kila, Ain Qana, and Khiam (Marjayoun), and two raids hit the area along the highway between the localities of Ansarieh (Zahrani) and Adloun. Finally, an Israeli drone targeted a residence in Shebaa (Hasbaya) without causing casualties.

From 11 p.m., the Israeli air force struck the outskirts of the localities of Zrarieh (Saida), Tayr Felsieh, Halloussieh, Srifa, and Shahour (Sour). Similarly, the air force launched raids on the bordering regions of Habboush (Nabatieh) and Houmin Fawqa (Nabatieh).

One raid again struck the village of Zrarieh near the main street, without causing casualties.

The night was particularly intense in South Lebanon, with dozens of Israeli airstrikes repeatedly hitting multiple localities, according to our correspondent, informed by various sources.

Starting at 9 p.m., the Israeli air force launched a raid on a residence in Adloun between Saida and Sour, and another in Wadi Salouki (district of Marjayoun).

Three additional raids struck the heights of Jabal Rihan (Jezzine), Adsheet (Marjayoun), and Burj al-Shamali (Sour), between Ain Qana, Kfar Kila (Marjayoun), and Harouf (Nabatieh).

Beginning at 10 p.m., three raids targeted the locality of Kfar Melki near Saida, another raid hit Adloun, and two more targeted the locality of Tayr Felsieh.

A series of Israeli airstrikes also targeted the Bekaa Valley this morning, according to our correspondent. The Israeli Air Force bombed areas including Mashghara, Douris, and the Lebbaya Plain.

At dawn, the localities of Hawsh al-Rafqa, Khoder, Riyak, the Sarain Plain, and Labweh were bombed, and shortly before, strikes also hit Brital, Baalbeck, and the heights of Nabi Sheet and Jenta.

For its part, Palestinian Islamic Jihad announced the deaths of two of its fighters in the Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon. They were identified as Hussein Balaouni, 33, and Mou'ayyed Mohammad, 26.

Hezbollah also confirmed the death of one of its commanders, Ibrahim Kobeissi, killed in yesterday's Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs.

According to the biography published by Hezbollah, Kobeissi was born in 1962 in Zebdine, southern Lebanon, and joined "the ranks of the Islamic Resistance from its inception in 1982."

"He supervised and planned numerous operations" against Israel, notably within the regional operations branch "which he led between 1998 and 2000." This commander headed the Badr unit, located north of the Litani River, between 2001 and 2018, as well as "several formations in charge of missiles."

During the night, Hezbollah announced the death of one of its members, Hussein Hani Ezzeddine, born in 1972 and originally from Deir Qanoun al-Nahr. According to information from our correspondent, he was killed in an Israeli airstrike on his home village.

After Hezbollah claimed responsibility for its strike on Tel Aviv, the Israeli air force launched a wave of raids in southern Lebanon, targeting:

Tefahta, Arzoun, Toulin, Majdal Selm, Arab Salim, Maroun al-Ras, Qleileh, Habboush, Sawaneh, Nmeirieh, Naqoura, and Hawsh. These areas are spread across the districts of Saida, Sour, Nabatiyeh and Bint Jbeil, along the Blue Line.

Earlier in the night, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for a strike on the Ilaniya base with "a salvo of Fadi-1 missiles." This target is located east of Haifa, about 30 kilometers from the Blue Line.

In a statement, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for a missile strike on the Tel Aviv region. The group said it targeted "the Mossad headquarters in the Tel Aviv suburbs with a Qader-1 ballistic missile."

According to Hezbollah, the facility is "responsible for the assassination of the party's commanders" and "the explosion of pagers and walkie-talkies."

No damage or casualties were reported, according to Haaretz, and the army stated there was no change in civil defense guidelines. According to Al-Arabiya, the missile targeted the Glilot military intelligence complex. At the end of August, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah claimed his fighters had launched a strike on Glilot, which the Israeli army denied.

This morning, air raid sirens sounded in Tel Aviv following the launch of a surface-to-surface missile from Lebanon, which was intercepted, the Israeli army announced.

"Following the sirens that went off in the Tel Aviv and Netanya areas, a surface-to-surface missile was identified coming from Lebanon and was intercepted by air defense," a military spokesperson stated.

Good morning!

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