TEL AVIV/BEIRUT — Hezbollah strongholds in Beirut's southern suburbs were hit by multiple heavy airstrikes on Tuesday as Israel's newly appointed defense minister rejected any talk of a possible ceasefire.
The Israeli military said it has now destroyed most of the weapons depots and rocket production facilities that have been built up in the suburbs — including under civilian buildings — over the past two decades.
The strikes hit the areas of Haret Hreik, Ghobeiry, al-Hadath, Bir al-Abed and Lailaki. Earlier, an Israeli army spokesman sent a warning on the social media platform X to evacuate areas in Beirut's southern suburbs.
People in the area were seen jumping on motorbikes and speeding away by car when the warnings came in. Panicked parents also rushed to collect their children at schools.
Videos circulating on social media showed pupils screaming in a classroom while filming the black smoke on their phones.
The southern suburbs had been cautiously calm for the past two days. Security sources said Tuesday's attack was the heaviest daytime airstrike on the area this month.
Deaths reported in Lebanon and Israel
In Lebanon, at least 33 people were killed in Israeli attacks in various areas, according to authorities.
In one attack in Joun, a village in in the south of the country, 15 people were killed, eight of them women and four minors. The state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported that a residential building in which displaced people had sought refuge was hit by Israel.
On the other side of the border in northern Israel, two men were killed after a rocket hit in the area of ​​the coastal city of Nahariya, the Israeli rescue service Magen David Adom and the Israeli police said.
In Tel Aviv, there was an aid-raid alert in the late afternoon after an attack from Lebanon. Three missiles were intercepted, the military said.
Earlier, the Israeli military said a drone attack had triggered air-raid sirens in Haifa, Acre and other areas. One drone reportedly struck the courtyard of kindergarten in Haifa. No one was injured.
Since September, Israel's military has massively expanded its attacks in Lebanon, where it says it is fighting the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia. Fighter planes have bombed targets across the country, frequently also in the suburbs south of Beirut.
No prospect of ceasefire
New Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz ruled out a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah, contradicting media reports that a pause could be imminent after more than a year of fighting.
"In Lebanon there will be no ceasefire and there will be no respite," Katz posted on social media platform X on Tuesday, following discussions with the Israeli general staff.
Katz spoke of the "great and powerful activities" carried out by the Israeli military against Hezbollah, citing the killing of its leader Hassan Nasrallah among other things.
These provided a "picture of victory" for Israel, he said, adding that the offensive activities had to continue.
"We will continue to hit Hezbollah with full force until the goals of the war are achieved," added Katz, who was foreign minister until a reshuffle last week.
He said Israel would only agree to a settlement if it granted Israel the right to continue combating terrorism in Lebanon and enabled the disarmament of Hezbollah, as well as its withdrawal to the area north of the Litani River, about 30 kilometers from the border to Israel.
Israel has been fighting for more than a year on several fronts, against Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip as well as Hezbollah to the north.
The fighting began after the massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023 carried out by Hamas and other extremists from the Gaza Strip, in which 1,200 people were killed and around 250 kidnapped.
Netanyahu delivers message to Iran
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once again addressed the people of Iran directly in a video, saying their leadership is wasting money with attacks on Israel that could be invested in their future.
Another Iranian attack would cost the country billions of dollars and cripple the economy, the Israeli prime minister said in a video message released on Tuesday.
"I know that you don't want this war. I don't want this war either. The people of Israel don't want this war," he said.
"There is one force putting your family in grave danger: The tyrants of Tehran. That's it," Netanyahu said, referring to the regime of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The regime obsesses "about destroying Israel, rather than about building Iran," the Israeli prime minister continued, adding, "What a shame."
