Beirut: Israeli warplanes struck central Beirut and the city's southern suburbs on Tuesday, raising palls of smoke over the Lebanese capital ahead of a planned vote by Israel's leadership on whether to accept a US-brokered ceasefire aimed at ending more than a year of fighting with Hezbollah. The Israeli military also issued warnings for 20 more buildings in Beirut's suburbs to evacuate before they too were struck-- a sign it was aiming to inflict punishment on Hezbollah down to the last moments before any ceasefire takes hold. Israeli ground troops also reached parts of Lebanon’s Litani River for the first time in the conflict-- a focal point of the emerging ceasefire.
A ceasefire was still not a sure thing, but Israel’s security Cabinet, meeting Tuesday afternoon, was expected to approve the US-backed proposal. Lebanese officials have said Hezbollah also supports the deal. If approved by all sides, the deal would be a major step towards ending the Israel-Hezbollah war that has inflamed tensions across the region and raised fears of an even wider conflict between Israel and Hezbollah's patron, Iran.
Ceasefire deal
The deal calls for a two-month initial halt in fighting and would require Hezbollah to end its armed presence in a broad swath of southern Lebanon, while Israeli troops would return to their side of the border. Thousands of Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers would deploy in the south, and an international panel headed by the United States would monitor all sides’ compliance.
But implementation remains a major question mark. Israel has demanded the right to act should Hezbollah violate its obligations. Lebanese officials have rejected writing that into the proposal. Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz insisted on Tuesday that the military would strike Hezbollah if the UN peacekeeping force, known as UNIFIL, doesn’t provide “effective enforcement” of the deal.
“If you don’t act, we will act, and with great force,” he said, speaking with UN special envoy Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert.
The European Union’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said Tuesday that Israel’s security concerns had been addressed in the US-French-brokered deal. “There is no excuse for not implementing a ceasefire. Otherwise, Lebanon will fall apart,” Borrell told reporters in Fiuggi, Italy, on the sidelines of a Group of Seven meeting. He said the U.S. would chair a ceasefire implementation committee, and France would participate at the request of Lebanon.
Bombardment of Beirut's southern suburbs continues
Even as Israeli, US, Lebanese and international officials have expressed growing optimism over a ceasefire, Israel has continued its campaign in Lebanon, which it says aims to cripple Hezbollah’s military capabilities. An Israeli strike on Tuesday levelled a residential building in the central Beirut district of Basta - the second time in recent days warplanes have hit the crowded area near the city’s downtown. There were no immediate reports of casualties. It was not immediately clear if anyone in particular was targeted, though Israel says its airstrikes target Hezbollah officials and assets.
Earlier, Israeli jets struck at least six buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs Tuesday. One strike slammed near the country’s only airport, sending large plumes of smoke into the sky. The airport has continued to function despite its location on the Mediterranean coast next to the densely populated suburbs where many of Hezbollah’s operations are based.
Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee issued evacuation warnings for 20 buildings in the suburbs, as well as a warning for the southern town of Naqoura where UNIFIL is headquartered. Other strikes hit in the southern city of Tyre, where the Israeli military said it killed a local Hezbollah commander. The Israeli military also said its ground troops clashed with Hezbollah forces and destroyed rocket launchers in the Slouqi area on the eastern end of the Litani River, just a few kilometres) from the border.
(With inputs from agency)
ALSO READ: Israel launches intense airstrike in Lebanon amid ceasefire negotiations with Hezbollah
