Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon killed 40 people in the eastern city of Baalbek, located in the Bekaa Valley, and injured 53 others, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. Strikes also hit Beirut's southern suburbs at dusk. While Israel and Hizbollah have exchanged fire for over a year amid the Gaza conflict, hostilities sharply escalated in late September, with intensified Israeli bombing in southern and eastern Lebanon and Israeli troops entering border villages.
Israel has frequently targeted Hizbollah strongholds in southern Beirut, even ordering evacuations in some areas on Wednesday before two bombing waves later that day and early Thursday. Al Jadeed TV reported at least four strikes on Thursday, though details on damage or casualties were not immediately available.
Hizbollah’s secretary general, Naim Qassem, stated Wednesday that he did not expect a political solution to end the hostilities. He added that indirect negotiations could be possible through Lebanese authorities if Israel halted its attacks.
Despite recent U.S. efforts to negotiate a 60-day ceasefire, talks stalled before Tuesday’s election, where former President Donald Trump regained office.
Lebanese rescue workers continue to search for survivors in towns affected by airstrikes. On Tuesday evening, an Israeli strike on an apartment building in Barja, south of Beirut, killed 20 people. Survivors described the devastation, with one resident recounting how parts of the structure crushed his young son, who survived but remains hospitalized.
