Arabic version: الضربات الإسرائيلية في لبنان تؤدي إلى 14 حالة وفاة

Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon and Beirut have killed at least 14 people, a day after Israel threatened to hit Lebanon’s main border crossing with Syria, forcing its closure. According to Al Jazeera, the strikes on Sunday killed at least four people in Beirut’s southern suburbs, while 10 people – including a family of six – were killed in attacks in southern Lebanon.

A further 39 people were wounded in an Israeli strike on Beirut’s Jnah neighbourhood, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health. The strike hit about 100 metres (330ft) from Rafik Hariri University Hospital, the country’s largest public medical facility, a medical source told the AFP news agency. The recent wave of airstrikes began on March 2, following rocket fire from the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah into Israel, which was a response to the ongoing conflict involving the United States and Israel against Iran.

Hezbollah claimed to have fired a cruise missile at an Israeli warship 126km (78 miles) off the Lebanese coast, although there has been no immediate response from the Israeli military regarding this claim. While most of Israel’s strikes against Hezbollah have utilized jets and drones, some have also come from naval vessels.

The Israeli military stated that it has begun striking Hezbollah infrastructure sites in Beirut’s southern suburbs without providing evidence for its claims. On Saturday, Israel announced plans to carry out strikes on the Masnaa border crossing between Lebanon and Syria, a crucial trade route for both nations. Following this announcement, the crossing was quickly evacuated, leaving it virtually deserted.

According to Lebanese authorities, the ongoing Israeli attacks since March 2 have killed more than 1,400 people, including 126 children, and displaced over 1.2 million. In the southern Lebanese town of Kfar Hatta, an Israeli strike killed seven people including a four-year-old girl and a Lebanese soldier, the Health Ministry said on Sunday. As the situation deteriorates, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has reiterated his call for talks with Israel, saying he wanted to spare southern Lebanon from destruction on the scale seen in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, urging discussions to protect homes that remain intact.