Israeli strikes hit near Beirut as envoy says disarming Hezbollah could end war
By Emilie Madi and John Irish
BEIRUT, March 10 (Reuters) – The Israeli army hit the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital with airstrikes on Tuesday and its troops advanced deeper into the country’s south, as the Israeli envoy said the key to ending the war was to disarm the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
Lebanon was drawn deeper into the war in the Middle East last week when Iran-backed Hezbollah opened fire on Israel in revenge for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader.
Israel has since launched airstrikes on southern, eastern Lebanon and the suburbs of Beirut, killing nearly 500 people, including more than 80 children, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
Strikes in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Tuesday afternoon sent thick columns of smoke over the city. Two hours before the start, an Israeli military spokesman ordered residents to leave the area immediately, citing three new areas that needed to be evacuated.
A member of the local municipal council told Reuters that families there had fled, adding to the nearly 700,000 people Lebanese officials say have been displaced by the war.
Lebanon’s Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed said on Tuesday that the state was preparing for higher displacement figures than in 2024, when the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah displaced more than a million people from their homes.
“Therefore, we expect the needs and the number of displaced people to be higher than in 2024. In terms of resources, on the other hand, there are much fewer resources this year, given the global situation and the regional war that is taking place,” he said.
ISRAELI AMBASSADOR: DISARMAIL OF HIZBOLLA COULD END THE WAR
Sayed spoke to Reuters at Beirut airport, where the European Union distributed 45 tonnes of emergency supplies, including medical kits and blankets.
“Our traditional partners and friends in the Gulf are of course under stress. Therefore, we call on the international community to stand with us at this time to stabilize the situation in terms of humanitarian needs,” Sayed said. he said.
Israeli troops made advances on Tuesday in other towns in southeastern Lebanon, including armored columns, Lebanese security sources told Reuters.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun signaled on Monday that he was open to starting direct negotiations with Israel to end the war.
But Israeli Ambassador to France Joshua Zarka said on Tuesday that words were not enough.
“At this stage, I am not aware of any decision to begin negotiations to end this war,” Zarka said. “What will end this is the disarmament of Hezbollah, and that is a choice of the Lebanese government,” he said.
Zarka said the Lebanese government “made very good statements, but they need to add action to these comments.”
Lebanon’s government last year vowed to establish a state monopoly on weapons and seized part of Hezbollah’s arsenal in the south of the country without the group’s objection.
But Hezbollah refused to disarm completely, and Lebanese officials feared that taking its weapons by force could spark a civil conflict.
(Emilie Madi and Laila Bassam in Beirut, John Irish in Paris; Writing by Maya Gebeily; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
