Hours after the ceasefire was announced, Iran on Wednesday said it will withdraw from the US ceasefire agreement if Israel continues to violate it by attacking Lebanon. A senior official in Iran told Al Jazeera that the country will “punish Israel in response to the crime it committed in Lebanon and the violation of the ceasefire terms”. “The ceasefire includes the region, and Israel is known for breaking promises and will only be deterred by bullets”, the official said. The statement from Iran comes as the Israeli army launched what it said were 100 airstrikes at multiple locations across Lebanon in a span of 10 minutes.
UN calls for an end to deadly violence in Lebanon
Jeanine Hennis, the UN’s special coordinator for Lebanon, called for an end to the deadly violence in Lebanon. “Today’s wave of [Israeli military] strikes came just as hopes for an end to violence and destruction were rising. This cannot go on. Neither side can shoot or strike their way to victory,” she wrote on X.
The UN Refugee Agency’s office in Lebanon says the Israeli bombardment struck locations across Beirut and other parts of the country. “Deaths are mounting. Destruction is massive. Civilians are paying the price. Again,” UNHCR Lebanon wrote on X.
Israel says ceasefire does not extend to its war with Lebanon
Israel earlier said the agreement does not extend to its war with the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, although mediator Pakistan said it does. Israel’s military called it the largest coordinated strike in the current war, striking more than 100 Hezbollah targets within 10 minutes in Beirut, southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa valley.
Black smoke towered over several parts of the seaside capital. Booms interrupted the honking of traffic on what had been a blue-sky afternoon. Ambulances raced toward open flames. At least one apartment building was struck. Emergency responders searched charred vehicles.
Israel’s military says it targeted missile launchers in Lebanon
It was not immediately clear how many people were killed or wounded, but several strikes were in busy commercial locations, causing panic in the streets. Israel’s military said it had targeted missile launchers, command centres and intelligence infrastructure and accused Hezbollah of using civilians as human shields.
“The State of Lebanon and its civilians must refuse Hezbollah’s entrenchment in civilian areas and its weapons build-up capabilities,” the military said in a statement. Israel has rarely struck central Beirut since the outbreak of the latest Israel-Hezbollah war on March 2 but has regularly struck southern and eastern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Before the wave of new strikes, a Hezbollah official told The Associated Press that the group was giving a chance for mediators to secure a ceasefire in Lebanon, but “we have not announced our adherence to the ceasefire since the Israelis are not adhering to it.” He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment publicly.
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