Israeli airstrikes targeted areas around Baalbek in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley on Wednesday, reportedly killing 40 people, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. More strikes at dusk hit the southern suburbs of Beirut, escalating the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah. The hostilities, which have simmered for over a year alongside the Gaza conflict, have intensified since late September, with Israel increasing bombings in southern and eastern Lebanon and conducting ground incursions into border villages.
Lebanon’s health ministry reported 40 dead and 53 injured in the strikes on Baalbek and the Bekaa Valley. The Israeli military has not commented on the attacks. In recent weeks, Israel has repeatedly targeted Hezbollah strongholds in southern Beirut, ordering evacuations on Wednesday from various locations in the southern suburbs. Two waves of bombing followed: one late Wednesday, with another early Thursday.
Lebanese TV channel Al Jadeed reported at least four additional strikes on Thursday, though immediate details on casualties or targets were not available.
In a statement, Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem expressed doubt about a political resolution to end hostilities, though he suggested that a potential path to indirect negotiations exists if Israeli attacks cease. “When the enemy decides to stop the aggression, there is a path for negotiations that we have clearly defined – indirect negotiations through the Lebanese state and speaker of parliament Nabih Berri,” Qassem stated.
Rescue Operations Underway for Survivors
Lebanese rescue workers are currently searching for survivors in the town of Barja, located south of Beirut, after an Israeli strike on Tuesday night killed 20 people in an apartment building, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. Residents like Moussa Zahran returned to the ruins, where his son and wife remain hospitalized due to injuries from the attack. “These rocks that you see here weigh 100 kilos; they fell on a 13-kilo kid,” Zahran shared, referring to his son’s injuries from the collapsed apartment wall.
Hezbollah confirmed a retaliatory strike on an Israeli military base near Ben Gurion Airport, which was followed by multiple projectiles fired into Israel from Lebanon, some of which were intercepted by Israeli defense systems.
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Efforts to diplomatically end the violence have stalled. U.S. attempts, including a proposed 60-day ceasefire, faltered last week before the U.S. election, in which former President Donald Trump regained the White House. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently appointed Israel Katz as the new defense minister, who has pledged to defeat Hezbollah and enable the safe return of Israelis displaced from northern regions.
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Nabih Berri, Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament and a Hezbollah ally, held discussions on Wednesday with U.S. and Saudi ambassadors on Lebanon’s political climate. Meanwhile, Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister extended congratulations to the newly elected U.S. president. Netanyahu welcomed Trump’s victory, while Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri remarked that Trump would be tested on his promises to end the Gaza war swiftly upon assuming office.
