Hezbollah Targets Northern Israel in Response to Beirut Attacks

Hezbollah launched a rocket salvo against northern Israel this morning, breaking an earlier commitment to a truce and escalating tensions following deadly Israeli strikes across Lebanon that killed hundreds of civilians.

The Lebanese militant group said its response "will continue until the aggression against Lebanon stops," reversing its previous statement that it was committed to the truce between Israel and Iran. This latest attack represents a significant escalation in the conflict that has already claimed hundreds of civilian lives in Lebanon.

The strikes come amid conflicting claims about whether Lebanon was included in the two-week ceasefire announced by Pakistan's Prime Minister. While Pakistan stated Lebanon was part of the deal, both Israel and the US explicitly rejected this claim, creating uncertainty about the status of the fragile truce.

Lebanon's Civil Defence reported that Israel's strikes across the country on Wednesday killed 254 people and wounded at least 837 others, with many of the casualties being civilians including women and children. The International Committee of the Red Cross expressed outrage over what it called "devastating death and destruction" in densely populated areas.

"People across Lebanon were holding their breath for a ceasefire but deadly strikes plunged the country into panic," said Agnes Dhur, the ICRC's head of delegation in Lebanon.

The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has "unequivocally" condemned Israel's massive strikes, stating he was "deeply alarmed by the mounting civilian toll." Guterres warned that continued military activity risked undermining the fragile ceasefire between Iran and the US, emphasizing that "there is no military solution to the conflict."

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper is expected to address the situation this evening, with advance extracts indicating she will stress that "Lebanon must be included in the ceasefire between the US and Iran."

The conflict also has implications for international shipping, with Iran announcing it wants to charge fees for vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Cooper has emphasized that "freedom of navigation must be free" on what was previously treated as an international waterway.

As the situation continues to evolve, the international community faces the challenge of containing the escalation while addressing the humanitarian crisis in Lebanon, where hospitals have been overwhelmed by the influx of casualties and civilian infrastructure has suffered extensive damage.

This article was previously published on UAE Moments. To see the original article, click here