BEIRUT/JERUSALEM — On Tuesday, Israel carried out one of its most intense daytime airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, targeting Hezbollah-controlled zones and central Lebanon, resulting in over 20 fatalities. Billows of smoke rose over Beirut as approximately twelve strikes hit the southern neighborhoods starting midmorning. After issuing warnings on social media, the Israeli military stated it had targeted Hezbollah positions in Dahiyeh and claimed to have neutralized most of the group’s weapon and missile facilities.

Israel asserted it took steps to minimize civilian casualties, reiterating accusations that Hezbollah embeds itself within civilian areas to use residents as shields, a charge Hezbollah denies.

In northern Israel, two civilians were killed in Nahariya when a residential building was struck, as confirmed by Israeli police. Hezbollah later claimed a drone attack on a military base east of Nahariya. Residents across northern Israel took shelter from drone strikes, with one incident hitting a kindergarten yard in a Haifa suburb. Rescue workers reported that children had been moved to safety, with no injuries reported.

Photographs show smoke over Beirut’s southern suburbs following an Israeli strike amid ongoing clashes with Hezbollah, captured from Baabda, Lebanon, on November 12, 2024. (Photo: Reuters)

In Lebanon’s Mount Lebanon province, Israeli airstrikes killed eight individuals in Baalchmay, southeast of Beirut, and fifteen in Joun village in Chouf, according to the Lebanese health ministry. The ministry also reported casualties from strikes in the south, including five in Tefahta, two in Nabatieh, one in Tyre, and another in Hermel in the northeast.

With many residents having evacuated Beirut’s southern suburbs since airstrikes began in September, footage on social media showed two missiles hitting a ten-story building, demolishing it and sending up clouds of dust and debris.

The conflict, sparked by the Gaza war, escalated as Israel began offensives in September, carrying out airstrikes across Lebanon and sending troops into the south. Israel claims significant damage to Hezbollah, including killing high-profile leaders, such as Hassan Nasrallah, and leveling neighborhoods in the southern suburbs, border villages, and other areas.

Israeli military chief Herzi Halevi, addressing troops in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, stated Israeli forces are operating “with full strength” in the country.

Since the start of hostilities a year ago, Israeli attacks have killed over 3,287 people in Lebanon, mostly in the past seven weeks, as reported by the Lebanese health ministry. Hezbollah’s retaliatory strikes have reportedly killed around 100 people in northern Israel, the Golan Heights, and southern Lebanon. Since October 1, Hezbollah claims to have killed over 100 Israeli soldiers and announced Israeli retreats from several towns in southern Lebanon. Israel reported Hezbollah launched 55 projectiles into its territory on Tuesday.

The United States has continued efforts to mediate a ceasefire in Lebanon, with U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein expressing optimism about an imminent truce, though peace efforts in Gaza have stalled following Qatar’s decision to halt mediation.

Similarly, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar noted "some progress" in Lebanon ceasefire discussions. However, Israel’s new Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that no truce would be pursued until Israel's objectives, such as disarming Hezbollah and repatriating displaced Israelis in northern Israel, are achieved.

President-elect Donald Trump appointed former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, a firm pro-Israel supporter, as U.S. ambassador to Israel on Tuesday. Huckabee’s nomination may signal decreased U.S. pressure on Israel to limit its military actions, with Saar commending the choice.

The Lebanese government, including Hezbollah, has urged for a ceasefire consistent with the UN Resolution that ended the 2006 conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from Reuters