The Israeli Air Force has launched a new wave of 26 airstrikes in Beirut targeting Hezbollah facilities as part of its defense against the Iranian-backed group based in Lebanon.
Israel’s strikes on its northern neighbor are part of its broader aerial offensive against what it has called the Iranian regime’s “terror network,” expanding beyond Iran’s borders and into the greater Middle East. The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health announced on Thursday that Lebanon’s death toll has risen to 123, with 683 people wounded in the attacks.
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“Among the targets were an executive council’s command center and a facility storing [Unmanned Aerial Vehicles] used for attacks against Israel. Prior to the strikes, measures were taken to mitigate the risk of harm to civilians,” The Israeli military posted on X overnight.
The Israeli military also announced on Thursday that it took out the head of Hezbollah’s artillery management in Southern Lebanon, Zaid Ali Jumaa, in a strike in Beirut.
Lebanon has felt the brunt of Israel’s attacks outside of Iran since Operation Epic Fury, as Iran-backed Hezbollah is largely based within the country. Hezbollah launched an attack on an Israeli defense facility near Haifa, Israel, over the weekend after the news of the death of former Iranian Ayatollah Ali Khamenei broke.
After Israel launched initial retaliatory strikes on Monday, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam barred Hezbollah from conducting activities in the country, declaring an “immediate prohibition of all of Hezbollah’s security and military activities.”
Israel ordered Lebanese civilians to vacate the Beirut suburbs and areas where Hezbollah is located on Thursday morning. The orders led to an exodus of civilians from Dahieh, Reuters reported, before Israel launched the series of 26 strikes in the capital region.
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Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who has opposed the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran, announced he would provide humanitarian support for the Lebanese people displaced from the strikes.
“I just spoke with the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, about the serious situation in Beirut and the rest of the country. The Lebanese people can count on our total support and humanitarian assistance for the thousands of displaced people. Enough with the escalations. No more destruction. No to war,” Sanchez said.
