Israeli warplanes conducted violent airstrikes on southern Beirut on Wednesday evening. The Israeli air force was also observed flying at low altitude over the Lebanese capital. Additionally, an Israeli strike targeted the Kassimiyeh sea bridge in the city of Sur. Warplanes struck the Khayyat hill area in central Beirut, as well as the towns of Kfar Malki, Khraiib, and Majdel Selm in southern Lebanon.
The United Nations condemned the intense wave of Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon on Wednesday, describing reports of hundreds of casualties, including civilians, as “horrifying”. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) also denounced the “death and destruction” in densely populated areas of Lebanon following the strikes. The committee noted that the Lebanese Red Cross had dispatched 100 ambulances to evacuate the dead and transfer the wounded to hospitals across the country. It added that medical facilities were already overcrowded and struggling to cope with the influx of the wounded, while some individuals remain trapped under rubble.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam declared Thursday a day of national mourning for the victims and wounded of the Israeli attacks. The conflict has escalated since March 2nd, following the launch of rockets by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement towards Israel, which has been met by widespread Israeli airstrikes and ground incursions into southern Lebanon.
