Lebanon hit by over 300 Israeli strikes in 48 hours
As Israel continues to bomb civilian gatherings and residential buildings all over Lebanon, officials in Beirut say the country is negotiating with US officials 'under constant escalation'
At least 300 Israeli airstrikes and artillery shelling attacks have been reported across Lebanon over the past 48 hours, including multiple drone strikes on densely populated neighborhoods in central Beirut.
According to local reports, about 266 attacks were launched in different areas of south Lebanon, with 131 in Nabatieh alone.
At least five people were killed and two dozen injured late on 18 November when Israeli drones bombed the surroundings of the Al-Zahraa Husayniya (a religious congregation hall for Shia Muslims) in the central Beirut neighborhood of Zoqaq al-Blat.
The attack on Zoqaq al-Blat came a day after 10 people were killed and 45 others injured in an Israeli strike on the Ras al-Nabaa and Mar Elias neighborhoods of Beirut.
The Lebanese Government Emergency Committee confirmed on Monday night that Israeli attacks have killed at least 35 people and injured 143 over the past 24 hours. This includes two paramedics from the Islamic Health Association's Civil Defense who were killed when Israeli troops targeted rescue workers in the town of Qana in Tyre district.
Over 3,500 people have been killed and about 15,000 injured since Israel expanded the war against Lebanon. According to local reports, Israel has been killing 50 people per day in strikes that span the whole country.
The war has also displaced over 1.2 million people and caused heavy damage to Lebanon's agricultural sector due to the Israeli army's continuous use of US-made white phosphorus munitions.
As the crisis continues to worsen for Lebanese civilians, Axios reporter Barak Ravid reported on Monday night that US special envoy Amos Hochstein is on his way back to Beirut, as Washington claims to be "determined to get the Lebanon ceasefire negotiations over the finish line."
Ravid, a former analyst with Israeli spying agency Unit 8200, cited US officials earlier saying that Hochstein “delayed” his departure and demanded "more clarifications about the Lebanese position regarding the cease-fire agreement.”
On Monday morning, Lebanese daily Al-Araby al-Jadeed cited sources close to Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri – who represents the Lebanese resistancein talks with Hochstein – saying that Beirut is negotiating “under fire and constant escalation.”
“Although the atmosphere is somewhat positive, it cannot be built upon or taken into account, whether for previous experiences with the enemy on the Lebanese level, the latest of which was the American-French initiative, or the truce path in Gaza,” the sources said.
“The enemy is resorting to escalation, expanding its targets, and attacking civilians and civil defense. On Sunday, it also attacked the Lebanese army in the south, which indicates its criminality, intentions, and attempt to exert pressure with the force of fire to impose its conditions," they went on to say.