Israeli fighter jets strike Beirut suburbs as tensions rise with Hezbollah

Israel launched airstrikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut early Wednesday, the first such attack in six days, according to Lebanese state media.

As per the news agency AP, the strikes targeted areas identified by Israel as Hezbollah assets, though these areas also serve as residential and commercial hubs. The casualty count has not yet been confirmed.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration has warned Israel to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza within the next 30 days or risk losing access to US weapons funding.

The airstrikes follow a statement by Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, who indicated that the US government had given him assurances about Israel potentially reducing its airstrikes in Beirut.

Despite these assurances, Israel announced that the attack was aimed at a weapons warehouse located beneath a residential building in Beirut's Haret Hreik neighbourhood, a Hezbollah stronghold. The Israeli military posted an evacuation notice on social media prior to the strikes.

Since October 8, Hezbollah has been launching rockets into Israel in solidarity with Hamas following their attack on southern Israel. What began as smaller skirmishes have escalated into full-scale warfare, displacing over 1.2 million people in Lebanon.

On Tuesday, Israeli airstrikes in the southern town of Qana killed at least 15 people, with rescue efforts still ongoing. Qana holds symbolic significance, as it was the site of a deadly Israeli artillery strike on a United Nations compound in 1996.

Hezbollah’s acting leader Sheikh Naim Kassem vowed on Tuesday to intensify attacks on Israel, following an airstrike that killed 22 people in northern Lebanon. Israel claimed it was targeting Hezbollah, but the United Nations has called for an independent investigation into the incident.

In Gaza, Israel’s air and ground operations continue to focus on the northern Jabaliya region, where families remain trapped in shelters.

The ongoing Israeli offensive has resulted in the deaths of over 42,000 Palestinians and displaced 90 per cent of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million people.