Israel’s military said Thursday it killed a Hezbollah commander in southern Lebanon, while also announcing a new round of evacuation orders in the Bekaa Valley.
The Israel Defense Forces identified the commander killed as Hussein Awada and said he was responsible for firing projectiles across the border into Israel.
Israel has issued multiple rounds of evacuation orders for parts of Lebanon, saying people need to get out of those areas due to their proximity to Hezbollah militant sites. The orders typically precede Israeli airstrikes.
The latest orders Thursday included the Saraaine, Tamnine and Safri areas.
Lebanon’s health ministry said Israeli airstrikes Wednesday killed 16 people in the southern town of Nabatieh, including its mayor, and wounded more than 50.
Lebanese officials denounced the attack on the provincial capital, contending it was proof that Israel’s campaign against the Hezbollah armed group was now shifting to target the Lebanese state.
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Israel “intentionally targeted a meeting of the municipal council to discuss the city’s service and relief situation” to aid people displaced by the Israeli campaign.
But Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, on a visit to northern Israel near the border with Lebanon, said Israel would not halt its assault on Hezbollah to allow negotiations.
The Israeli military said it attacked dozens of Hezbollah targets in the Nabatieh area.
U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert said the Israeli attack “follows other incidents in which civilians and civilian infrastructure have been targeted across Lebanon,” and that “civilian suffering is reaching unprecedented heights.”
“It is time for all concerned actors to immediately cease their fire and open the door to diplomatic solutions capable of realizing the needs of citizens and advancing regional stability,” Hennis-Plasschaert said in a statement.
Asked by a reporter about the strike, U.N. Ambassador to Israel Danny Danon said, “We target Hezbollah bases.” He said he would look into the specific incident.
Israeli forces also carried out airstrikes Wednesday on Beirut’s southern suburbs, sending plumes of smoke rising from at least two neighborhoods.
Israel also reported more than 50 projectiles were fired from Lebanon on Wednesday, while Hezbollah said it launched missiles at an area in northern Israel.
Aid to Gazans
At the United Nations Security Council Wednesday, diplomats were given a grim picture of the humanitarian situation, particularly in the north, where Israel has been stepping up its military activity this month.
“No food aid entered northern Gaza from October 2 to October 15, when a trickle was allowed in, and all essential supplies for survival are running out,” said acting humanitarian chief Joyce Msuya.
“During the first two weeks of October, just one out of 54 coordinated movements to the north via the Al Rashid checkpoint was facilitated by Israeli authorities, while another four were impeded but eventually accomplished,” she said. “Eighty-five percent of the movements were denied, and the rest were impeded or canceled, due to security or logistical issues.”
Council members condemned the humanitarian situation and Israeli military evacuation orders. Several said it is time for the council to consider all its “tools” to enforce its existing resolutions — diplomatic speak for sanctions.
The session came days after the United States demanded that Israel boost its humanitarian aid to famished Palestinians in Gaza within the next month or face the possibility that Washington would cut its military aid supporting Israel’s year-long war against Hamas militants.
The Hamas attack on Israel a year ago killed 1,200 people and led to the capture of about 250 hostages. Israel’s counteroffensive in Gaza has killed more than 42,400 Palestinians, with more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza health officials. The Israeli military says the death toll includes thousands of Hamas fighters.
Hamas and Hezbollah have been designated a terrorist organization by the United States, United Kingdom, European Union and others.
Some material in this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
