Israel vows continued strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon

Last Friday, the Israeli government ordered the army to halt airstrikes on Beirut. The decision was related to a conversation President Joe Biden had with Prime Minister Netanyahu on Wednesday, during which Biden demanded a cessation of attacks on "densely populated areas," reports the public broadcaster KAN. Netanyahu, along with other members of the Israeli government, had previously denied reports of American pressure on this matter.

On Monday, during a visit to a military unit in Binyamin, which a Hezbollah drone had attacked on Sunday, Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterated his stance. "We will continue to relentlessly attack Hezbollah in all parts of Lebanon, including Beirut," he stated. Sunday's attack resulted in the deaths of four Israeli soldiers and injured dozens.

Netanyahu also rejected allegations that Israel intentionally targets UN peacekeeping positions (UNIFIL) in Lebanon. The Prime Minister once again called for the withdrawal of international forces from the region. In recent days, the Israeli military has repeatedly shelled and violated UNIFIL positions in southern Lebanon, drawing criticism from the UN and countries participating in the mission, including Poland, France, and Italy.

For over three weeks, Israel has been conducting intensive airstrikes on Lebanon, while simultaneously carrying out ground operations in the southern part of the country for nearly two weeks. The government in Jerusalem declares that the military actions aim to eliminate the threat from Hezbollah, which Iran supports. The Shiite organization controls southern Lebanon and has been regularly shelling northern regions of Israel for over a year, prompting decisive counterattacks by the Jewish state.

According to the Ministry of Health in Beirut, since the start of the exchanges between Hezbollah and Israel, over 2,300 people have died in Lebanon, and over 10,000 have been injured. Most of the fatalities have occurred in recent weeks. In the wake of Hezbollah's attacks on northern Israel over the past year, more than 50 people have died there.

According to the Israeli military, hundreds of Hezbollah fighters have been killed in military operations, including leaders of the organization. The Israeli army also reports the destruction of a significant portion of the group's military capabilities. However, media and authorities in Lebanon claim that most of the victims of Israeli airstrikes are civilians. The conflict has forced about 1.2 million of Lebanon's 5.5 million population to leave their homes.

Airstrikes in other areas of Lebanon continued on Monday. In the town of Aito in the north of the country, at least 21 people were killed in an Israeli operation. Media note that this region, primarily inhabited by Christians, had previously been overlooked by Israeli forces during attacks. In southern Lebanon, further clashes occurred between Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters. Throughout the day, in various regions of Israel, including Tel Aviv, air raid alarms were issued due to shelling from Lebanon. There is currently no information on Israeli casualties.

The Israeli Ministry of Defense announced that Minister Yoav Gallant spoke with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin late Monday night. The subject of their conversation was a "decisive response" to Hezbollah's actions, including deadly shelling from Sunday. The Israeli Air Force announced it would "completely destroy" the Hezbollah unit responsible for the drone attacks, reports the Times of Israel portal.