On Sunday, Hezbollah fired heavy rocket barrages targeting Israel, with reports indicating that a building near Tel Aviv was struck. This attack followed a powerful Israeli airstrike the previous day that killed at least 29 people in Beirut.
In retaliation, Israel also carried out airstrikes on southern Beirut, specifically targeting Hezbollah-controlled areas. This comes amid escalating violence over the past two weeks and signs of progress in US-led ceasefire negotiations.
Hezbollah, which had vowed to respond to Israeli actions in Beirut, confirmed it launched precision missiles at two military sites in Tel Aviv and surrounding regions. The rockets hit areas including Petah Tikvah, on the eastern outskirts of Tel Aviv, causing multiple injuries, though most were minor. Footage from the scene showed significant damage, including an apartment building in Petah Tikvah and burning cars, with several people wounded by shrapnel.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reported that Hezbollah fired 170 rockets on Sunday, many of which were intercepted by missile defense systems. Despite the interceptions, some rockets caused damage, including one explosion in the northern city of Nahariya.
In response, Israel warned it would target Hezbollah facilities in southern Beirut. Security sources in Lebanon confirmed that two apartment buildings were demolished in the strikes. The IDF later stated that the airstrikes were aimed at command centers hidden among civilian buildings in the area.
The conflict continues to escalate, with both sides intensifying their attacks while diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire remain underway.
On Saturday, Israel launched one of its deadliest and most powerful airstrikes on central Beirut. Lebanon’s health ministry reported that the death toll from this attack was raised from 20 to 29 by Sunday. In total, 84 people were killed on Saturday, bringing the overall death toll since the conflict began in October 2023 to 3,754.
Ceasefire Proposal Amid Escalating Tensions
The ongoing Israeli offensive has displaced over 1 million people in Lebanon, with Israel stating that its primary objective is to facilitate the return of tens of thousands of individuals evacuated from northern Israel due to Hezbollah's rocket attacks. These strikes, launched in support of Hamas at the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, have exacerbated the already volatile situation in the region.
US mediator Amos Hochstein, during his visit to Beirut last week, highlighted the progress made in negotiations. He then traveled to Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz before returning to Washington. The primary focus of these diplomatic efforts is to restore a ceasefire under the framework of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which had previously ended the 2006 Hezbollah-Israel war.
This resolution mandates Hezbollah’s fighters to withdraw at least 30 kilometers from the Israeli border, and it calls for the Lebanese army to deploy in the designated buffer zone to prevent further escalation.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese army reported significant casualties, including one soldier killed and 18 others injured in an Israeli airstrike that severely damaged an army center in Al-Amiriya, near the southern city of Tyre. Lebanon's caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, condemned this strike, asserting that it sends a “bloody message” rejecting efforts to establish a ceasefire, strengthen the Lebanese army’s presence in the south, and enforce Resolution 1701.
