Israel Renews Deadly Attacks On Beirut As It Rejects Ceasefire Deal 

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Following a dismissal of calls for a ceasefire in Lebanon by Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli military on Wednesday, October 16, 2024, launched strikes in southern Beirut.

Netanyahu vowed that Israel would not leave Hezbollah forces near the country’s border.

Black smoke was seen to be rising from Beirut’s Haret Hreik area after two strikes after an Israeli military warning for residents to evacuate.

The military said one of the strikes targeted weapons stockpiled by Hezbollah in an underground storage facility.

Netanyahu’s refusal to stop the offensive came as the United States mounts pressure on Israel, criticising the bombing of Beirut, and urging more aid access for Gazans.

In a call with French President, Emmanuel Macron, Netanyahu said he was opposed to a unilateral ceasefire, which does not change the security situation in Lebanon and will only return it to the way it was.

Israel insists that it needs a buffer zone along its northern border, free of Hezbollah fighters.

This was as Hezbollah’s deputy leader, Naim Qassem, said the only solution was a ceasefire while threatening to expand its missile strikes across Israel.

Qassem said; “Since the Israeli enemy targeted all of Lebanon, we have the right from a defensive position to target any place in Israel”.

 

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