Israel struck the predominantly Shiite Dahiya suburb south of Beirut on Saturday as part of its ongoing bombing assault. Although there were no immediate reports of injuries, the region had been targeted several times this week, and Israeli evacuation orders for local residents coincided with the strikes.
Israel claims its airstrikes are aimed at Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia that controls Dahiya, accusing the group of using residential areas to hide "terrorist infrastructure." This ongoing bombing campaign has complicated U.S. efforts to broker a cease-fire.
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah began in October when Hezbollah started launching daily rocket attacks on Israel in support of its ally, Hamas, in Gaza. It intensified in mid-September, leading to Israeli ground operations in Lebanon.
The war has displaced nearly one million Lebanese and tens of thousands of Israelis as Hezbollah's rockets hit northern Israel. The Biden administration has renewed its efforts to negotiate a cease-fire, but there is no sign that Hezbollah or its supporter, Iran, are willing to meet Israel's demands.
These demands include Hezbollah’s withdrawal from the Israel-Lebanon border and a clause that would allow Israel to attack Hezbollah if the cease-fire is violated, which has been rejected by both Hezbollah and the Lebanese government.
On Friday, Iranian official Ali Larijani met with Lebanese officials in Beirut to discuss the cease-fire efforts. Larijani, a senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, conveyed messages to Hezbollah, indicating that Iran would continue supporting the group and helping rebuild its forces after the war.
The messages also encouraged Hezbollah to accept terms for a cease-fire that would require it to move its forces north, in line with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended a previous round of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
In Lebanon, Speaker of Parliament Nabil Berri expressed cautious hope for a cease-fire but said Lebanon would not accept any agreement that allows Israel to attack Lebanese territory in the future, rejecting any proposal that would compromise the country's sovereignty.
Meanwhile, in northern Israel, air raid sirens sounded as Hezbollah launched new drone and rocket attacks. The Israeli military reported that the missiles caused little damage or were intercepted by air defense systems.
In Gaza, Israeli airstrikes killed five people and injured several more in the southern city of Rafah on Saturday, according to Palestinian media.
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