By Redacción
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Israel escalated its military campaign in Lebanon with at least four airstrikes on the port city of Tyre, close to a UNESCO World Heritage site that houses ancient Roman ruins.
The strikes occurred just hours after Israeli authorities expanded evacuation orders to cover several central neighborhoods.
Videos from the scene depicted massive plumes of black smoke rising from the seafront area, located a mere few hundred meters from the famous archaeological ruins. Lebanon’s National News Agency reported significant destruction to homes and infrastructure, though there were no immediate reports of casualties.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the strikes targeted command-and-control centers of Hezbollah, including the group’s Southern Front headquarters. The IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson had previously circulated a map of the areas where Israel intended to act “forcefully” against Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia.
Thousands of Tyre’s residents had already evacuated in recent weeks amid Israel’s intensified air and ground operations. According to local authorities, around 14,000 people remained in the city before the latest wave of strikes. Many of those still in Tyre were displaced from other parts of southern Lebanon. Bilal Kashmar, a spokesperson for a disaster management unit, stated, “You could say that the entire city of Tyre is being evacuated.”
Kashmar also noted that many evacuees were heading to the city’s suburbs. Among those affected was Wael Farraj, who fled Tyre with his family. “We took the children, grabbed what we could,” Farraj told Reuters. Upon their return, they found their home reduced to rubble. “We are staying here and we are steadfast. We will remain here… among the rubble,” he added.
Other residents shared similar experiences. Issam Awad recalled how the bombing began suddenly and without warning.
“Thank God, we’re all fine, and no one got hurt by the explosions,” Awad said.
Israel’s military stated that these strikes were part of broader efforts to hinder Hezbollah’s operations and prevent the group from rebuilding its military capacity. The IDF also accused Hezbollah of using civilian and religious areas for their activities, which it said put Lebanese civilians at increased risk.
Elsewhere in Lebanon, Israeli airstrikes continued to hit Hezbollah-controlled regions. The National News Agency reported multiple strikes in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, as well as in the southern suburbs of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold. The IDF claimed that its strikes in the Lebanese capital targeted weapons storage and manufacturing facilities, along with command centers linked to Hezbollah.
The pro-Hezbollah television station, al-Mayadeen, reported that its Beirut bureau was damaged in one of the strikes. Meanwhile, the Israeli military announced that airstrikes had killed several Hezbollah commanders in southern Lebanon over the past several days. The IDF specifically mentioned sector commanders in the areas of Jibchit, Jouaiya, and Qana as targets.
In response, Hezbollah fighters launched several rocket barrages into Israel. One morning attack targeted the Gilot intelligence base, located north of Tel Aviv. Rocket alert sirens sounded in Tel Aviv, forcing senior U.S. officials, accompanying Secretary of State Antony Blinken, to seek shelter in a secure location. It was unclear whether Blinken himself was among those escorted to safety.
Another rocket barrage hit two factory buildings in the northern Israeli towns of Acre and Kiryat Bialik. Although the attacks caused property damage, no injuries were reported. Hezbollah later confirmed that one of its top figures, Hashem Safieddine, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on southern Beirut on October 4. Safieddine, a cousin of Hezbollah’s former leader Hassan Nasrallah, had been expected to succeed the group’s leadership.
Israel’s military campaign against Hezbollah intensified after nearly a year of sporadic cross-border hostilities, which were ignited by the ongoing Gaza conflict. Israel said its goal was to ensure the safe return of residents displaced by rocket attacks on northern Israel. Hezbollah began launching rockets into northern Israel on October 8, 2023, in solidarity with Hamas following the latter’s attack on Israel a day earlier.
The death toll in Lebanon has surged since the conflict began, with over 2,500 fatalities reported, including 1,900 in the past five weeks, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. In Israel, authorities report 59 deaths in northern regions and the occupied Golan Heights.
As the conflict shows no signs of de-escalating, the humanitarian crisis continues to deepen, with tens of thousands displaced on both sides of the border.
