Israeli forces have launched a number of aerial bombardments on the southern Lebanon city of Tyre in their stepped-up war with Hezbollah. Reports say at least four strikes hit areas not far from the Roman ruins that have been listed by UNESCO, sending plumes of smoke billowing into the sky. So far, there are no reports of casualties, but that’s at a time when strikes came during a wave of evacuations since the Israeli army began alerting the citizens to leave the city.
Tens of thousands have fled the city already amid the continuing air attacks and the ground invasion, leaving some 14,000 residents-most of whom are internally displaced-in Tyre. The majority of the remaining residents, said disaster management official Bilal Kashmar, are now evacuating toward the suburbs.
Apart from Tyre, other reported Israeli air strikes were in the southern suburbs of Beirut, south Lebanon, and the Bekaa Valley-all Hezbollah strongholds. The Israeli military says it has targeted weapon storages and command centers in these operations. It also said several Hezbollah commanders and about 70 fighters were killed in recent battles.
In response, Hezbollah has launched rocket attacks into northern Israel, including hits on the Gilot intelligence base and factory buildings in Acre and Kiryat Bialik, causing damage but no reported injuries.
There is a heightened conflict since Hezbollah’s entry in the support of Hamas after the latter attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing many there. Over 2,500 people have been reported dead by the health ministry in Lebanon due to the war in the Lebanese territory, in the last five weeks, 1,900 deaths have been recorded. Meanwhile, the Israeli authorities report 59 fatalities in the north of Israel and in the occupied Golan Heights.
Despite developments, the situation may still remain fluid as conflicting sides continue to perpetuate hostilities. This is because Israeli military forces pledged to take decisive actions against Hezbollah to ensure residents’ safety in northern Israel.