Amid escalation of tension between Israel and Iran, three people have been killed in two Israeli strikes on vehicles on Beirutโs airport highway, Lebanonโs Health Ministry said. The strikes late Wednesday came after a third day of Israeli bombardments in response to renewed Hezbollah attacks. In the meantime, Israeli army attacked Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanonโs Tripoli, north Lebanonโs biggest city.
Israel’s military issued warnings to Beirutโsย residents
Israel’s military issued warnings to residents of dozens of border villages in southern Lebanon to evacuate “immediately” on Wednesday as airstrikes on suburbs of Beirut intensified and Hezbollah claimed more attacks. Lebanon was dragged into the broader war in the Middle East early on Monday when Hezbollah fired rockets and drones into northern Israel, triggering Israeli retaliatory airstrikes that killed more than 70 people, wounded more than 400 and displaced tens of thousands of people from southern Lebanon, the eastern Bekaa Valley and Beirut’s southern suburbs.
The ongoing conflict is not the first between Hezbollah and Israel. Hezbollah began firing into Israel a day after the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel triggered the war in Gaza. After months of low-level fighting, a full-scale war erupted in September 2024 and Israel later launched a ground invasion of Lebanon.
Israeli forces withdrew from most of southern Lebanon after a US-brokered ceasefire halted the fighting in late 2024, but continued to occupy five points on the Lebanese side of the border. Israel also pressed on with near-daily strikes, primarily in southern Lebanon, saying that Hezbollah has been trying to rebuild its positions there, killing nearly 400 people while the ceasefire was in place.
The Israeli army’s Arabic spokesperson warned on X that if people decide to move south of the river, they will be endangering their lives. The area south of the Litani River, about 8 per cent of the territory of Lebanon, is mostly along the border with Israel.
The Lebanese government says it has cleared the area of Hezbollah’s military presence there over the past months. The order came after airstrikes overnight on the predominantly Christian southeastern suburb of Hazmieh that struck a hotel.
US submarine sinks Iranian warship in Indian Ocean
Earlier in the day, a US submarine sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, as Washington and Israel intensified their bombardment Wednesday of Iran’s security forces and other symbols of power. Iran launched more missiles and drones and warned of the destruction of military and economic infrastructure across the Middle East.
The tempo of the strikes on Iran was so intense that state television announced the mourning ceremony for Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the start of the conflict, would be postponed. Millions attended the funeral of his predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in 1989.
Israel says offensive against Iran was originally planned for mid-2026
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the offensive against Iran was originally planned for mid-2026, but “the need arose to bring everything forward to February.” He listed events inside Iran, Trump’s positions “and the whole possibility of creating a combined operation here,” as reasons.
The protests in Iran put unprecedented pressure on its leadership. Trump threatened military action in response to the crackdown before shifting his attention to Iran’s disputed nuclear program.
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