Lebanon PM echos calls for ceasefire as Israeli tanks amass across southern border

LAST UPDATE | 45 mins ago

LEBANON’S PRIME MINISTER has called for Israel a ceasefire in his country, as Israeli fighter jets continue to bomb the capital Beirut, and tanks amass across the southern border.

Israel has warned that it will use all of its might to hit Hezbollah, even after the Israeli Defence Forces killed its leader, while the Iran-backed militant group say its fighters are ready to face a ground invasion.

This evening, Israel declared parts of its northern borders ahead of possible ground operations.

“The areas of Metula, Misgav Am, and Kfar Giladi in northern Israel have been declared a closed military zone. Entry to this area is prohibited,” the military said in a statement.

Israeli special forces have been making incursions into Lebanon in recent days to prepare for a possible ground invasion, according to seven Israeli military sources and a US official speaking to the New York Times.

They said that raids had been focused on intelligence gathering targeting Hezbollah in order to facilitate future attacks.

Meanwhile, sources within the Lebanese military said troops were being “repositioned” in response to threats from Israel.

People across the region and in Lebanon are growing increasingly fearful of a deadly conflict, as Israeli strikes on Beirut – said to be targeting Hezbollah targets – have killed citizens and destroyed civilian houses.

US President Joe Biden, whose country is Israel’s main weapons supplier, has called for a ceasefire in Lebanon and indicated that he would oppose an Israeli ground operation. The call was supported by French authorities a short while later.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, the first high-level diplomat to visit Beirut since the Israeli strikes intensified, said on Monday his government sought “an immediate halt” in the violence.

“There is still hope” for a ceasefire, he said, “but there is little time”.

Speaking during a meeting with Barrot in Beirut, Mikati said that and end to “Israeli aggression” was key to “revive the appeal launched by the United States and France in favour of a ceasefire”.

He added that the “priority” of the United Nations Security Council enact the same resolution which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said diplomacy was the best path forward for the region and said Washington will “continue to work” to bring about a diplomatic resolution to put an end to the growing conflict and civilian suffering.

‘The resistant forces are ready’

Speaking for the first time since the massive strike on Beirut on Friday, Hezbollah’s deputy chief, Naim Qassem, said the armed rebel movement were “ready” to fight back against Israel.

“The resistance forces are ready for any ground confrontation,” he said in a televised address.

Friday’s strike on Beirut killed the militant group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, after the Israeli Defence Forces shelled Hezbollah’s headquarters.

Border clashes between Hezbollah and the Israeli Defence Forces have become more frequent since Israeli troops began their response to the 7 October attack by Hamas in Gaza.

Hezbollah’s began low-intensity strikes rapidly escalated this month, leaving people across the region fearful of even more violence to come.

In northern Israel, near the Lebanese border, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said: “We will use all the means that may be required… from the air, from the sea, and on land.”

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He said the killing of Nasrallah “is an important step, but it is not the final one”. He told troops on the border that they would be employed to allow displaced residents of the area to return home safely.

Israeli strikes continued throughout the day today, with one of them killing a soldier in south Lebanon according to a military statement. It is the first death among Lebanese troops in the current escalation.

Israel said earlier this month that it was shifting its focus from Gaza to securing its northern border, and has not ruled out a ground offensive in order to achieve its goals.

Hundreds of people have been killed in the past week while hundreds of thousands have been displaced from their homes as a result of Israel’s strikes on Lebanon.

Hezbollah and other groups launched rockets, drones and some missiles at Israel over the same period, causing some injuries but no deaths.

‘Everyone is afraid’ 

Speaking today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran was to blame for plunging the Middle East “deeper” into war due to the country’s support for Hamas, Hezbollah and other armed factions in the region.

“There is nowhere in the Middle East Israel cannot reach,” Netanyahu warned.

Iran has said Nasrallah’s killing would bring about Israel’s “destruction”, though the foreign ministry said Monday that Tehran would not deploy any fighters to confront Israel.

Most of Israel’s strikes have targeted Hezbollah strongholds in eastern and southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut, the group’s main bastion.

Earlier today, Israel claimed it had killed three people after it struck a building in the city centre of Beirut that had an armed Palestinian group inside. The strike sparked panic among residents of the city centre.

41-year-old Mohammed al-Hoss said “the kids were in shock” after his house was damaged. “Our country is in a wretched state. [Israel] finished with Gaza and they have come to Lebanon,” he said.

In Gaza, AFP journalists said the number of Israeli air strikes has dropped significantly in recent days.

Another resident, 42-year-old Kahier Bannout, said central Beirut was supposed to be a “safe area” and “not a war zone”. “Everyone is afraid,” Kahier said.

Some in Israel’s northern region also fear a wider war. 24-year-old Matan Sofer from Rosh Pina welcomed the news of the death of Nasrallah, as he claimed the Hezbollah leader was “responsible for the deaths of many Israelis”.

But, he added, residents do not know when the violence will end. 

Elsewhere, Lebanon’s health ministry have said six rescuers, affiliated with Hezbollah, were killed in an Israeli strike. Hamas has also said the leader of its Lebanese faction, Fatah Sarig Abu al-Amine, had also been killed.

Abu al-Amine’s wife and two children were also killed after the strike on Al-Bass refugee camp in south Lebanon, Hamas said. The death has been confirmed by the Israeli military.

Over 300,000 people displaced

According to Lebanon’s Health Minister Firass Abiad, over 1,000 people have been killed since fighting and shelling intensified on 17 September. The UN’s refugee agency’s chief has also said that “well over 200,000 people are displaced” inside of Lebanon.

More than 100,000 others have fled to neighbouring Syria, Filippo Grandi has said.

Fears that flighting will spread to elsewhere in the Middle East are growing among world leaders today, who have called for de-escalation. Some countries have urged their citizens to leave Lebanon.

A UN Satellite Centre assessment issued today said “two-thirds of the total structures in the Gaza Strip have sustained damage” in nearly a year of war.

© AFP 2024