The U.N. refugee agency said Tuesday that Israel ordered military evacuations for nearly 25% of Lebanon. Israel began its incursions into southern Lebanon two weeks ago to fight the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
As Israel intensifies its campaign to eliminate Hezbollah and demolish its infrastructure in their one-year conflict, the data highlight the high cost Lebanese are bearing.
At a press briefing in Geneva, Rema Jamous Imseis, the Middle East Director of the U.N. refugee agency, stated that more than a fourth of Lebanon was now impacted by new Israeli evacuation orders to 20 villages in southern Lebanon.
“People are heeding these calls to evacuate, and they’re fleeing with almost nothing.”
The Lebanese government reported that over 1.2 million people have been displaced and that at least 2,309 people have been murdered by Israeli strikes in the past year.
Since Israel increased the scope of its military campaign in late September, the majority have been slain. There is no distinction between combatants and civilians in the toll.
Israel says that 50 Israelis have been killed, including civilians and troops.
Hezbollah bombings forced tens of thousands of Israelis to leave their homes in northern Israel. Israel claims its operation in Lebanon aims to ensure their return.
An airstrike in northern Lebanon killed at least 22 people, mostly women, on Monday. Health officials said the victims were displaced people taking shelter from Israeli raids further south as Israel continued its bombing campaign.
When asked about Monday’s strike on Christian-majority Aitou, U.N. human rights office spokesperson Jeremy Laurence responded, “What we are hearing is that amongst the 22 people killed were 12 women and two children,” during the same news briefing.
“We understand it was a four-story residential building that was struck. With these factors in mind, we have real concerns with respect to IHL (International Humanitarian Law), so the laws of war, and the principles of distinction proportion and proportionality,” he said, calling for an investigation into the incident.
After strikes earlier this month on the southern Lebanese hamlet of Ain Deleb killed over 30 people, rescue workers were still removing victims from the rubble in Aitou. Local media reported the ongoing efforts on Tuesday. This was one of the bloodiest strikes on displaced families in Lebanon.
Israel has stated time and time again that it takes every measure to prevent civilian casualties, but it has not responded to the Aitou strike.
UN CONCERNED OVER PEACEKEEPER ATTACKS
Israel’s military has primarily targeted the eastern Bekaa Valley, the Beirut suburbs, and the southern region in Lebanon. U.N. peacekeepers report that Israeli fire has repeatedly struck their bases, injuring peacekeepers.
The U.N. Security Council voiced grave concerns on Monday as fighting between Hezbollah and the Israeli military once again targeted a number of peacekeeping posts in southern Lebanon.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel would continue to target the movement “without mercy, everywhere in Lebanon – including Beirut.” He made the statement while touring a military facility in central Israel after a Hezbollah drone strike killed four soldiers on Sunday.
The militant organization began launching rockets at Israel in support of Hamas at the start of the Gaza war a year ago. This triggered the battle between Israel and Hezbollah.
The Middle East is still on high alert in case Israel retaliates against Iran for launching a volley of missiles on October 1 in retaliation for Israel’s attacks on Lebanon.
According to Netanyahu’s administration, Israel would consider American advice but make decisions based on its own national interests.
Netanyahu assured President Joe Biden’s administration that Israel would target Iranian military sites, according to a Washington Post report. This implied a more restricted counterattack aimed at avoiding a full-scale conflict.
On Tuesday, the emir of Qatar accused Israel of using “international inaction” on the Middle East issue to justify its “aggression” in Gaza. He claimed Israel is sending troops into Lebanon and building more illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani stated in his yearly speech to open Qatar’s Shura Council that “Israel deliberately chose to expand the aggression to implement pre-planned schemes in other locations such as the West Bank and Lebanon because it sees that the scope for that is available.”
The war in Gaza began a year ago when fighters from the Palestinian militant group Hamas crossed into Israel from Gaza, killing 1,200 people, according to Israeli estimates. Qatar, the United States, and Egypt have attempted to settle the conflict on several occasions.
More than 42,000 people have died in Gaza due to Israel’s offensive. The offensive has also left the enclave in ruins, created twisted metal, and caused acute shortages of food, water, and fuel.
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