Israeli forces attacked central Beirut — barely meters away from Lebanon's parliament — leaving at least six people dead and seven injured on Oct 3. The strike comes a day after eight Israeli soldiers were killed in combat operations in Lebanon marking the first loss since its forces crossed the border to target Hezbollah.
Israel Defense Force (IDF) said a multi-storey block in Bachoura, which housed a Hezbollah-affiliated health center was hit in a "precision" attack.
There were five other air strikes overnight against targets in the southern suburb of Dahieh, according to IDF. Three missiles hit the southern suburb of Dahiyeh where Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed last week, Lebanese security officials were quoted as saying.
Pertinently, the southern suburbs have come under over a dozen Israeli strikes on Oct 2. The aggressive retaliation from Israel against Iran-backed Hezbollah came in response to Iran launching 200 missiles at them on Oct 1, though most of them were intercepted, according to the IDF.
Israel and its key ally the United States have vowed to take action against Iran, though President Joe Biden has requested Israel to deal with the situation with “proportional” force.
Biden on Oct 2 said he would not support strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in retaliation for Tehran’s missile attack on Israel.
“The answer is no,” the US president told reporters, adding, that Israel’s response must be “proportionate”. Biden said G7 world leaders were preparing a new round of sanctions on Iran.
Biden’s statement came after Israel’s security cabinet was reported to have resolved to take direct military action against Iran, possibly in the next few days. The Lebanese health ministry on Oct 2 said at least 46 people were killed and 85 others injured by “enemy Israeli strikes” across the country over the past 24 hours.
Meanwhile, paying rich tributes to the slain soldiers, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a condolence video on Oct 2 vowed Israel will win in its war against Hezbollah. “I would like to send my heartfelt condolences to the families of our heroes who fell in Lebanon, may God avenge them, and may their memories be a blessing,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu added that Israel was in the middle of a “tough war against Iran’s axis of evil,”. “This will not happen,” Netanyahu said, adding, “Because we will stand together, and with God’s help, we will win together.”
Calling Iran’s missile barrage aimed at Israel “a cold-blooded attack against 10 million civilians” and “an unprecedented act of aggression,” Israel’s United Nations ambassador Danny Danon on Oct 2 said that “the time for empty calls for de-escalation is over.”
Danon told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council that “Iran’s true face is one of terror, death and chaos.”
“This is no longer a matter of words,” he said. “Iran is a genuine and present danger to the world, and if they are not stopped, the next wave of missiles will not be aimed solely at Israel,” he added.
Danon stressed that Israel will not stop until all of the hostages taken by Hamas and other militants are back in Israel. “Let the world understand, Israel will defend itself, and we will do so with justice and strength,” he said.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Oct 2 said about 1.2 million citizens had been displaced by recent Israeli attacks.
Several countries including India, Spain, Germany, South Korea, and others have asked their citizens to evacuate Lebanon and Israel due to the deadly battle that has taken over the Middle East.
