The entire Israeli cabinet approved the ceasefire for Lebanon (the votes were 10 to 1, in favor), which should come into force at 4:00 local time. “It is clear that the next few hours will be quite terrifying for civilians in Beirut and northern Israel, as the parties involved take advantage of the last hours of fighting to gain maximum advantage,” John Strawson, an expert in Israel Studies, tells Expresso. Middle East and, specifically, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and lecturer at the University of East London.
Israel in fact launched some of the heaviest airstrikes to date on Beirut before the ceasefire came into force, the newspaper says “The Guardian”. The attacks on areas of the Lebanese capital dominated by the Hezbollah group began this Tuesday morning. 20 evacuation warnings were issued, the highest number of Israeli alerts since the outbreak of war in Lebanon at the end of September. At least 20 attacks hit Beirut during the afternoon, as well as 30 locations in southern Lebanon. At least three people died and 26 were injured in south Beirut, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. The Israeli army said it was carrying out “a widespread attack” against Hezbollah targets, including a center of air defense units, an information center, rocket launch sites and weapons storage facilities. Attacks also took place in the Litani River region, marking the deepest land advance into Lebanon to date.
Hezbollah’s rocket and drone offensives in northern Israel also reportedly seriously injured two civilians and a soldier. Some schools were closed in several areas of the country.
Source: expresso.pt
