At least 558 people, including 50 children, have been killed and 1,835 wounded following Israel’s intense bombardment of Lebanon, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which has escalated rapidly in the past week, is raising concerns of a broader regional war.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called for immediate restraint in a speech at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool. “I call again for all parties to step back from the brink,” Starmer urged, referencing the tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border.
Israel has intensified its strikes in Dahiya, a Hezbollah-controlled neighborhood in southern Beirut. The most recent strike hit the top floor of a building, killing six and wounding 15. This is the third attack on Dahiya since Friday after Israel targeted and failed to assassinate a senior Hezbollah commander. An earlier strike in Dahiya on Friday killed 52, including 15 members of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan unit.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah retaliated by launching missiles at Israeli air bases, intensifying fears of further escalation. Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian stated in an interview with CNN that “Hezbollah cannot stand alone against a country… defended by the West.”
The situation in Lebanon has forced schools, universities, and nurseries to close indefinitely. Thousands of civilians have been displaced, with UN Secretary-General António Guterres warning the international community that “Lebanon is at the brink” of turning into another Gaza. “Gaza is a nonstop nightmare that threatens to take the entire region with it,” Guterres emphasized.
On the military front, Israel’s army reported using 2,000 munitions in 1,500 attacks across southern Lebanon and deeper Lebanese territory. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Lebanese civilians to “get out of harm’s way now” as Israel continues its airstrikes against Hezbollah.
As the conflict intensified, the United States sent additional troops to the Middle East, with President Joe Biden stressing efforts to “de-escalate tensions” in the region.
