[MIDDLE EAST] On November 24, Lebanon's Hezbollah movement fired large rockets at Israel, with Israeli media saying that a building near Tel Aviv was struck, following a massive Israeli airstrike that killed at least 29 people in Beirut the previous day.
The escalation of violence between Hezbollah and Israel has sent shockwaves through the international community, raising concerns about the potential for a wider regional conflict. Diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the situation have intensified, with several countries offering to mediate talks between the parties. The United Nations Security Council has called for an emergency session to address the growing crisis, emphasizing the urgent need for restraint on both sides.
Israel also targeted Beirut's Hezbollah-controlled southern neighborhoods, where escalating shelling over the last two weeks coincided with signs of progress in US-led cease-fire talks.
Hezbollah, which has repeatedly stated that it will retaliate to attacks on Beirut by striking Tel Aviv, said it has launched precision missiles against two military sites in Tel Aviv and nearby.
The use of precision missiles by Hezbollah marks a significant development in the group's military capabilities. Military analysts suggest that this advancement could potentially alter the balance of power in the region, forcing Israel to reassess its strategic defense posture. The ability to strike targets with increased accuracy not only poses a greater threat to Israeli infrastructure but also complicates efforts to protect civilian populations.
According to police, there were many impact sites in the Petah Tikvah neighborhood on Tel Aviv's eastern side, and several persons sustained minor injuries. Television footage showed a rocket-damaged dwelling in Petah Tikvah, while MDA video showed cars on fire.
Israel's military said Hezbollah fired 250 missiles against Israel, many of which were intercepted, and sirens sounded throughout the country. At least four persons were hurt by shrapnel. Reuters acquired video of a projectile bursting as it smashed into the top of a building in Nahariya, northern Israel.
The military warned on social media that it planned to target Hezbollah installations in southern Beirut before carrying out attacks that, according to security sources in Lebanon, destroyed two residential buildings. Following the attack, the IDF stated that command centers were "deliberately embedded between civilian buildings".
The targeting of civilian areas by both sides has drawn sharp criticism from human rights organizations. The practice of embedding military installations within residential zones, as alleged by the IDF, raises complex ethical and legal questions under international humanitarian law. Civilian casualties resulting from such tactics have fueled public outrage and calls for accountability, further complicating efforts to achieve a lasting peace in the region.
On November 24, the Israeli military announced that it had launched out strikes against 12 Hezbollah command centers in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh. On November 23, it launched one of its deadliest and most devastating strikes on Beirut's center. On November 24, Lebanon's health ministry raised the death toll from 20 to 29. It said 84 people were killed on Saturday, bringing the total death toll to 3,754 since October 2023.
The IDF made no statement on the November 23 strike on the capital, nor did it specify what it hit.
The mounting death toll has sparked a humanitarian crisis in Lebanon, with hospitals struggling to cope with the influx of injured civilians. International aid organizations have called for immediate access to affected areas to provide emergency medical assistance and supplies. The destruction of critical infrastructure, including healthcare facilities, has exacerbated the situation, leaving many vulnerable populations without access to basic services.
In September, Israel launched an offensive against Iran-backed Hezbollah, hammering the south, the Bekaa Valley, and Beirut's southern suburbs with airstrikes following nearly a year of hostilities sparked by the Gaza conflict. More than one million people in Lebanon have been displaced as a result of Israel's offensive.
Israel claims its goal is to ensure the return home of tens of thousands of people who were evacuated from its north owing to rocket assaults by Hezbollah, which began firing in support of Hamas at the start of the Gaza war in October 2023.
During a visit to Beirut this week, US mediator Amos Hochstein praised progress in negotiations before meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz and returning to Washington.
On November 24, European Union foreign policy leader Josep Borrell announced that a US cease-fire agreement was pending final clearance from Israel.
"We must continue to pressure the Israeli government and Hezbollah to accept the US cease-fire proposal," he said in Beirut after meeting with Lebanese authorities. According to Israeli media, Netanyahu has scheduled a security cabinet meeting for 5 p.m. (1500 GMT). However, a different report from Israel's national broadcaster Kan stated that no green light was given for an accord in Lebanon, with concerns remained unresolved.
The conflicting reports regarding the cease-fire agreement highlight the fragile nature of diplomatic efforts in the region. The complexity of the situation, with multiple stakeholders and competing interests, makes achieving a lasting peace agreement particularly challenging. Analysts warn that without a comprehensive approach addressing the root causes of the conflict, any cease-fire may prove to be temporary, with the risk of renewed hostilities remaining high.
Diplomacy has concentrated on maintaining the ceasefire established by UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which concluded the 2006 Hezbollah-Israel war. Hezbollah must withdraw its fighters around 30 kilometers from the Israeli border, and the Lebanese army must deploy in the buffer zone.
On November 24, the Lebanese army reported that at least one soldier had been killed and 18 more injured in an Israeli strike on an army center in Al-Amiriya, near the southern city of Tyre. The Israeli military expressed remorse and stated it was examining the event, that it was battling Hezbollah rather than the Lebanese army.
Najib Mikati, Lebanon's caretaker prime minister, said the strike "represents a direct bloody message rejecting all efforts to reach a ceasefire, strengthen the army's presence in the south, and implement... 1701". Borrell stated that the EU was prepared to provide 200 million euros (S$280.79 million) in assistance of the Lebanese army.
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