Israel’s military continues to attack Lebanon. Residential neighborhoods are in ruins. According to Lebanese information, places in the south are being blown up. Soldiers also repeatedly come under fire.
After renewed Israeli attacks, the damage in Lebanon is massive. According to Lebanese security circles, the Israeli army almost completely destroyed several places in the south of the country. According to eyewitnesses, residential areas in the suburbs of the capital Beirut are in ruins. The attacks are aimed at the Shiite militia Hezbollah, which has been firing rockets at Israel every day for over a year. But it is primarily the civilian population who suffers from the war. The Lebanese army, which is actually neutral in the conflict, is also reporting losses.
Only parts of buildings remain
In the neighborhoods on the southern outskirts of Beirut that are considered Hezbollah strongholds, only remnants of buildings remain, a dpa reporter reported. On Saturday, the Israeli military attacked there again from the air after a break of several days. The buildings that had not yet been completely destroyed suffered enormous damage and would have to be either demolished or renovated after the end of the war. At night, the once lively neighborhoods would be in complete darkness, without electricity or light.
Both the southern suburbs of Beirut, known as Dahija, and neighboring neighborhoods were densely populated residential areas with many restaurants and shops before the war began.
“Most areas have suffered massive damage,” said Samer, a resident of Shujefat on the southern edge of Beirut, to dpa. “If you’re lucky, your home has only suffered tremendous damage and hasn’t been completely destroyed,” he said. After the renewed attacks, he came on Sunday to inspect the damage to his house. “It feels like the Israelis want to punish us for living in or near Hezbollah-controlled areas,” he said. Most of the residents have already fled.
Security circles: Entire towns in the south blown up
According to security circles there, the Israeli army has almost completely destroyed several places in the south of Lebanon. The dpa learned from Lebanese security circles that the military blew up the town of Ramja near Bint Jubail in the border area. There was initially no official confirmation of this.
About a week ago, soldiers from the international UN mission observed several Israeli units advancing from Israel across the demarcation line into Lebanon. A few days ago, a photo circulated on social media showing Israeli soldiers apparently posing in front of the village’s municipal building.
Israel’s army has generally not released details about troop movements or strengths since it began its ground offensive in southern Lebanon in September. She called on residents of the border area to flee at the beginning of the ground offensive. According to Israel, the aim of the operation is for Hezbollah to withdraw behind the Litani River as stipulated by a UN resolution and to destroy positions of the pro-Iranian militia near the border. This should enable around 60,000 Israeli citizens to return to their villages in the north of the country. They had to flee the border area because of Hezbollah’s daily attacks since the beginning of the Gaza war.
Satellite photos show the extent of the destruction
A week ago, the Israeli army destroyed another village, as the New York Times reported after analyzing videos and satellite photos. Soldiers blew up large parts of the village of Mhaibib, which is also in the border area. In the place there was a shrine of Benjamin, son of Jacob, who is revered as a prophet in Islam and who is also mentioned in the Bible.
Israel’s military said it had “dismantled” a tunnel network used by the Hezbollah militia that ran through the “core of a village” in Lebanon. The military also released a video showing the demolition of the hilltop village.
According to Lebanese security circles, Jarun, Marun al-Ras and other villages in the border area were largely destroyed. The town of Nabatija in the southeast, a commercial center in the region, is also said to have been partially destroyed.
Lebanese soldiers killed again
In southern Lebanon, Lebanese soldiers are repeatedly caught in the crossfire. According to the armed forces, three soldiers were killed in an attack. The Israeli military fired on an army vehicle near Ain Ebel, not far from the border with Israel, the military said. The Israeli Defense Forces did not initially comment on the incident.
The Lebanese army remains neutral in the conflict between Israel and the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia. It is not Israel’s declared war opponent. Nevertheless, several soldiers have already been killed.
The war between Israel and Hezbollah began on October 8 last year with rocket attacks by the Lebanese militia in support of Hamas, which triggered the Gaza war with the terrorist attack on Israel the day before. Since then, Hezbollah and Israel’s military have been engaged in heavy shelling, killing hundreds of people, injuring thousands and displacing hundreds of thousands, most of them in Lebanon.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
