Lebanon: Israel took out another high-ranking Hezbollah executive – Bombs Continue despite international calls for ceasefire

He made it clear yesterday Thursday (26.9.24) that he will not stop the war with the pre-win, rejecting the international call to declare a 21-day ceasefire and mass air bombings continued for the fourth consecutive day in eastern and southern Lebanon. Tens of blows were made against Hezbollah’s positions, which opened a front with Israel the day after Hamas invaded the southern part of Israeli territory on October 7 . The Shia organization, supported by Iran, vows to continue its action “to the end of the Gaza attack” . According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, yesterday’s air bombings cost the life to 92 people and injured 153 others. Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) announced that they had unleashed “precision wounds” in Beirut and killed Hezbollah unit commander handling her drones, Mohammed Shrour . Lebanon’s organization confirmed his death last night. They also reported that they hit 75 military targets, Hezbollah positions, in southern and eastern Lebanon, while in the evening they stressed that they continued bombings in southern Lebanon. They noted that dozens of rockets, missiles and drones were launched from Lebanon against Israel yesterday. Hezbollah on her part reported that she launched about 100 rockets against the cities of Safed and Haifa, in northern Israel. Israeli bombings, which have killed over seven hundred people since Monday, including hundreds of civilians, forced over 90,000 people to flee to Lebanon, during the UN. Over 31,000 citizens of the country fled to war-ravaged Syria, according to Beirut. The plan for immediate ceasefire France and the US, together with Arab and Western countries, called the day before Wednesday to be declared “an immediate ceasefire of 21 days” in order to give “an opportunity to diplomacy”. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, stressed yesterday that his army will continue the battle with Hezbollah “with all the necessary power”. Israel’s government’s foreign minister Kats has championed, claiming that military operations will continue “to victory” and that there will be no “suppression of fire in the north”. Two Israeli far-right ministers, Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvere, also rejected the idea of a ceasefire. “The campaign in the north can only be ended in one way: the crash of Hezbola,” said Mr Smotric. Ben Gvere for his part threatened to boycott the government’s work if a ceasefire agreement was concluded in Lebanon. Washington assured that the call for a ceasefire was expressed “in coordination” with Israel. French President Emanuel Macron appreciated that it would be a “wrong” of Mr Netanyahu to “reject” the proposed ceasefire, as he would thus become “responsible” for possible regional escalation, stressing that the proposal was “prepared” and was “negotiated” with “Prime Minister Netanyahu and his groups”, both “by Americans” and “by ourselves”. British Prime Minister Kir Starmer called on Israel and Hezbola to “remove from the edge of the abyss yesterday from the UN General Assembly”. US Defence Minister Lloyd Austin warned against “total war”, which would be “destructive”, both for Israel and Lebanon, appreciating that if a ceasefire agreement were concluded in Lebanon, it could facilitate a truce agreement in the Gaza Strip as well. On the other hand, the Israeli defence ministry announced that it secured a new package of US military aid, estimated at $8.7 billion, in support of the military effort in progress. The previous Wednesday, the chief of Israeli general staff, General Herchi Khalevi, ordered his men to prepare for a possible land invasion of Lebanon. In a war with the Palestinian Hamas in the Gaza Strip since 7 October 2023, Israel announced in mid-September that the “centre of weight” of operations is now being transferred to the north, in order to allow the safe return of tens of thousands of residents who have been forced to leave their homes because of the Hezbola fires in the past nearly a year. The escalation of hostilities at the border followed the Israeli secret service’s series of Hezbola communications devices that had been trapped with explosives on September 17 and 18, accounting for 39 dead and hundreds injured, then on September 20, the Israeli bombing in southern Beirut which cost the life to 55 people and decapitated the elite Raduan unit of the Shian movement. Since October 8, hostilities have cost the lives of 1,540 people in Lebanese territory, authorities in the country said yesterday. The Israeli army says it has hit “over 2,000 targets”, Hezbola positions, since Monday. Israeli authorities reported this week that 9,360 rockets or missiles have been launched against the country in the last nearly a year. They destroyed a missile from Yemen the Israelis At the same time, the Israeli Defense Forces announced that they destroyed a missile launched from Yemen, adding that “the sirens (of the air defense) and explosions were heard after its interception and the fall of debris.” At the same time, Israel continues the attack on the Gaza Strip, where civil protection yesterday announced that at least 15 people were killed in a bombing against a school that had been converted into a centre of hospitality displaced to the refugee camp in Jabalia (north). The Gaza Strip war broke out on October 7, 2023, with Hamas’ invasion of southern Israel sparked, during which 1,205 people were killed on the Israeli side, most of them civilians, according to a French Agency count based on official data from the Israeli authorities, including hostages killed while being held in the Palestinian enclave. Of the 251 people kidnapped that day, 97 continue to be in Hamas’ hands in the Gaza Strip, but 33 have been declared dead by the Israeli army. The government of Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas, in power in the enclave since 2007, a movement that has characterized a terrorist organisation, as have US and EU governments. Large-scale Israeli military retaliation operations have since cost life at least 41,534 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas Health Ministry, whose numbers are considered reliable by the UN.