Heavy fighting as southern Lebanon comes under fierce Israeli bombardment
There have been several strikes since this morning. In the past hour only, there have been at least four air strikes on the outskirts of Tyre. There was also an air strike on the city of Tyre. In parallel, the coastal line is being bombarded with artillery.
Also, the Ministry of Public Health has said five paramedics were killed in two separate incidents. There are also reports coming from the UN forces in Lebanon that four Italian soldiers were injured in shelling.
Meanwhile, there are clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters.
In the western sector, the Israeli forces are trying to get to the coastal line and close it to besiege the city of Tyre. They’ve been pushing towards the town of Chamaa. In parallel, there’s another operation going on towards the eastern sector.
Khiam, a major town on the border with Israel, is also under fierce Israeli bombardment and is also witnessing fierce battles between Hezbollah fighters and the Israeli military, which is trying to push through Khiam to get farther.
The Israeli army is saying that is the second phase of its operation. What they mean is dismantling Hezbollah’s capabilities in these areas.
But given the fact that we’re talking about places like Chamaa and Khiam, after 53 days, it seems the Israeli army has not been able to cross major border towns towards the depth that they were looking for, which was 7 to 10km [4.3 to 6.2 miles].
Israel’s attack on Beirut’s Chiyah area instills ‘panic’
People are in “shock” and there is a lot of “panic” in the aftermath of Israel’s attack on Beirut’s southern suburb of Chiyah, says Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr from the site.
While Beirut’s southern suburbs have been repeatedly hit in recent months as Israel escalated its attacks on Lebanon, it is the first time this neighbourhood – located near a busy highway – has been hit, said Khodr.
“People are coming out of their homes and saying, ‘We’ve lost everything, look at our homes,'” she added, reporting just metres away from where the attack took place. “So people are now concerned that these strikes are expanding. Some are asking each other whether they should leave this area for good.”
Most of the 700,000 people who live in Beirut’s southern suburbs have left, but a few thousand stayed behind because they don’t want to leave their homes and businesses, she explained.
“This building is likely to fall, or at least there will be a lot of falling debris, so [there’s] chaos and panic and really a lot of concern, because the bid by the US administration to bring about a ceasefire has apparently failed,” Khodr said.
Smoke and flames rise after an Israeli strike on a building in the Chiyah district of Beirut’s southern suburbs
Footage shows Israeli strike on southern Lebanon’s Tyre city
Social media accounts of Lebanese users and media have published videos of the moment Israeli air strikes hit the city of Tyre in southern Lebanon. The footage verified by Al Jazeera’s fact-checking agency, Sanad, shows thick smoke rising over the al-Housh area.
بالفيديو - الغارة على منطقة الحوش في قضاء #صور pic.twitter.com/JkqZLxbnRn
— nbnlebanon (@nbntweets) November 22, 2024
Fierce fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon: UN
Intense fighting is taking place in southern Lebanon between Israeli troops and Hezbollah, according to The Associated Press news agency, which cited the UN. Its UNIFIL peacekeeping force told the agency that it is monitoring “heavy clashes” in the coastal town of Naqoura and the village of Chamaa to the northeast.
UNIFIL’s headquarters are located in Naqoura, close to the border with Israel.
“We are aware of heavy shelling in the vicinity of our bases,” UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti said.
Asked if the peacekeepers at the headquarters are safe, Tenenti said: “Yes, for the moment.”
