Israel expands northern Gaza ops, large airstrikes hit Beirut suburbs

Several large airstrikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs early Thursday, including one on a site adjacent to Lebanon’s only international airport. The Israeli military had issued an evacuation notice for the site, saying there were Hezbollah facilities there, without giving more details.

Also Thursday, the Israeli military announced it expanded its month-old ground operation in northern Gaza to include part of Beit Lahiya, a town that has been heavily bombed since the earliest days of the war, where Israel says Hamas militants have regrouped.

Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem said in a speech aired Wednesday that the Lebanese militant group is open for cease-fire negotiations only once “the enemy stops its aggression.” His speech marked the 40-day mourning period since former Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah was assassinated in Beirut.

Hezbollah began firing into Israel on October 8, 2023, in solidarity with the Hamas militant group in the Gaza Strip. Since the conflict erupted, more than 3,000 people have been killed and some 13,600 wounded in Lebanon, the Health Ministry reported.

The Israel-Hamas war began after Palestinian militants stormed into Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and abducting 250 others. They do not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but say more than half of those killed were women and children.

France’s top diplomat has urged action in the coming weeks toward a political solution to the wars in West Asia. Visiting Israel, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said that Donald Trump had “never hid his wish to end the interminable wars”.

Mounting toll

At least 43,469 Palestinians have been killed and 102,561 others injured in Israel’s military offensive on Gaza since October 7, 2023, Gaza’s health ministry said on Thursday.