Dozens of Lebanese Cities Under Israeli Bombardment as Hezbollah Responds with Rockets
Armed confrontations have renewed between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, with Israeli airstrikes continuing on the southern suburbs of Beirut, raising tensions in the Lebanese capital.
Journalists reported today, Sunday, that a new airstrike targeted the Haret Hreik area in the southern suburbs, which was previously considered a stronghold of Hezbollah.
Earlier, Israel launched a guided missile from the sea, targeting rooms in the Ramada hotel in the Raouche area of central Beirut, resulting in casualties according to a Lebanese security source, where Hezbollah's health authority transported three bodies from the hotel, according to Agence France-Presse.
* Israel Targets "Iranian Leaders"
The Israeli army announced that the airstrike was a "precise and targeted strike" aimed at leaders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard operating in Lebanon.
Israeli army spokesperson Eila Wawiya stated on X that the attack targeted "central leaders in the Lebanon Brigade of the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guard, who were operating in Beirut and promoting terrorist plans against Israel and its citizens from within Lebanese territory."
* Hezbollah Responds with Rockets
In response, Hezbollah announced a rocket attack targeting Israeli forces and a border town, in retaliation for Israeli airstrikes that affected dozens of Lebanese cities and towns and the southern suburbs of Beirut.
The party also reported that its fighters engaged in clashes with Israeli forces near the border town of Aitaroun.
Media outlets circulated images of the targeted hotel in the Raouche area, where dozens of hotels are currently occupied by displaced persons fleeing the recent war between Hezbollah and Israel since last Monday.
* Precedent of Targeting Hotels
It is noteworthy that the airstrike on the Raouche hotel is the second of its kind this week, after a similar attack on Wednesday targeted a hotel in the Hazmieh area, which has a Christian majority near Beirut, adjacent to the Baabda area, where the presidential palace and the ministries and embassies are located.
* Position of the Lebanese Government
In this context, the Lebanese government condemned the country's involvement in a war and regional conflict, announcing a ban on military activities by Hezbollah, in an attempt to curb the escalation threatening Lebanon's stability.
