BEIRUT/JERUSALEM/UNITED NATIONS – At least 27 people were killed and an unspecified number wounded in targeting multiple areas in southern and eastern Lebanon during the early hours of Wednesday, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said.
A Lebanese security source and a Civil Defense source told Xinhua that Israeli warplanes carried out more than 100 airstrikes overnight and into the morning, hitting areas in southern and eastern Lebanon.
Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported that the strikes targeted several southern areas, particularly the city of Tyre and its surroundings, as well as towns in the districts of Bint Jbeil, Marjeyoun, Nabatieh, and Hasbaya. Some locations also came under artillery shelling.
In response, Hezbollah said that it had carried out rocket and drone attacks on various Israeli military targets, including sites near Tiberias and areas in northern Israel.
Two bridges over Litani River destroyed
Also on Wednesday, the Israeli army struck and destroyed two additional bridges over Lebanon’s Litani River, according to a statement from Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz.
The announcement follows an earlier strike on another Litani River bridge last week. Katz’s office did not specify the precise locations of the targeted bridges or provide details on casualties.
The Litani River, Lebanon’s longest river, which runs roughly parallel to the frontier, has long been a focal point in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
Death toll rises to 957
The death toll from Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon since March 2 has reached 957, with 2,391 people injured, according to the country’s health ministry.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said that the heavy exchange of fire, along with escalating air and ground activities and the increased presence of Israeli forces inside the Lebanese territory, are developments that raise “deep concern”.
In a statement, UNIFIL said that the violent escalation witnessed overnight marks a further worrying deterioration in the situation between Lebanon and Israel. It also expressed concern over the renewed issuance of so-called “evacuation orders” by parties to the conflict, which are affecting civilians on both sides of the Blue Line.
UNIFIL renewed its call on all parties to recommit to UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and to a full cessation of hostilities, describing it as the only path toward achieving lasting stability.
UN scales up humanitarian aids
The UN and its humanitarian partners continue to scale up assistance in Lebanon, providing food, shelter, water, medical care and nutrition support to families forced to flee their homes, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Wednesday.
“As of last night, according to the Ministry of Public Health, 912 people have been killed in Israeli strikes, with more than 2,200 others injured,” OCHA said. “Overnight and into the early morning, Israeli strikes on central Beirut reportedly caused additional casualties. A multistory building in the neighbourhood of Bashoura collapsed after being hit. Residential areas in the neighbourhoods of Zoqaq al-Blat and Basta were also struck.”
More than one million people are now displaced, including 367,000 children, the office said.