Lebanon: Israel intensifies war offensive with strikes in Beirut, Damascus and Jabalia strikes, multiple dead

A day after global scenes of commemoration for those killed in the tragic events of October 7 2023, Israel has intensified its war offensive attacks on the terrorist groups Hezbollah and Hamas, as strikes were carried out in Lebanon, Gaza and Syria.

New evacuation orders have been issued for multiple suburbs of Beirut, and air strikes have been conducted in Damascus and Jabalia.

The IDF’s Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued an evacuation order on X saying: “Urgent warning to the residents of the southern suburb of Haret Hreik and Hadath Beirut, specifically in the buildings specified in the maps and those adjacent to them.

“You are located near Hezbollah facilities and interests, and the IDF will act against them in the near future.

“For your safety and the safety of your family members, you must evacuate this building and the buildings adjacent to it immediately and stay away from it for a distance of no less than 500 meters.”

The images show the two sites of interest are close to multiple schools and a centre for people living with disabilities.

Lebanese officials say the IDF has hit Lebanon with 137 air strikes in 24 hours, killing 36 people and injuring 150 others.

An estimated 1.2 million people have now been displaced.

The warning comes after the IDF carried out air strikes on targets in Syria, hitting a residential tower in Damascus.

Local state media confirmed the strike hit a residential building in Al-Mazzeh, a neighbourhood that houses embassies and security headquarters.

The Syrian defence force has confirmed seven people have been killed including women and children.

Teams are still working through rubble in an attempt to locate more survivors.

It is understood that three floors of the building have been destroyed along with at least 20 cars.

The new attacks come as Israel issues mixed messaging over the killing of senior Hezbollah leader Hashem Safieddine, who is understood to have been primed as the replacement for former Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah who was killed by IDF operations.

On Tuesday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that Sadieddine had been taken out by IDF strikes last week.

However, by Wednesday morning, the IDF had backtracked on these claims, saying they were unable to confirm if their actions had killed to potential replacement leader.

Israel has continued its war on multiple fronts, continuing operations in Gaza.

Tanks were sent deeper into Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip as advice was issued for people to leave as a Palestinian refugee camp was pounded from the air, residents say.

Palestinian medics said on Tuesday that casualties had been reported in Jabalia but that they were unable to reach areas under fire.

Israel’s army has said its forces are trying to stop fighters from the Hamas militant group staging attacks from Jabalia and want to prevent them regrouping.

“Jabalia is being wiped out,” was repeated in many messages posted on social media by residents of Gaza, who on Monday marked the first anniversary of the Israel-Hamas war, triggered by the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

Palestinian health officials did not immediately provide new casualty figures but said dozens had been killed in the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours.

Israel’s military said one soldier had been killed in combat in northern Gaza.

The Israeli army issued new evacuation orders to residents of Jabalia and nearby Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya, telling them to head to a humanitarian-designated zone in Al-Mawasi in the southern Gaza Strip.

The Indonesia, Kamal Adwan and Al-Awda hospitals in northern Gaza have also been asked to evacuate in the past 48 hours, World Health Organization officials told a briefing in Cairo.

Fewer than half of Gaza’s hospitals remain even partially functioning.

Palestinian and UN officials say there are no completely safe places in Gaza.

“Jabalia is being bombed as if the war has just begun and the world is blind about it,” said Salah, 60, a father of five who is a resident of Gaza City.

“We live at least seven kilometres away, but the sounds of Israeli air strikes and tank shelling deprive us of sleep. The world must stop Israeli crimes,” he said via a chat app.

The armed wings of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad said fighters had attacked Israeli forces in the north with anti-tank rockets, and that there were casualties among the Israeli troops.

The Israeli military said it had killed many Palestinian militants, located weapons, and dismantled military infrastructure in its operations in Jabalia.

Reuters was unable to verify the battlefield reports.

Israel began its offensive after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israeli communities on October 7 last year, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed nearly 42,000 Palestinians, the enclave’s health ministry says.

Most of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been displaced and humanitarian conditions have deteriorated sharply.

Israel, which also faces a conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon, says Hamas militants use residential areas as cover in the densely populated territory, including schools and hospitals.

Hamas denies this.

- With Reuters