Israel escalated its military campaign in Lebanon on Friday, destroying a bridge in the south and dropping leaflets over Beirut that threatened 'Gaza-scale' devastation The actions signal a strategic shift towards targeting the country's infrastructure as Israel deploys more troops to its northern border to fight the Iran-backed group Hezbollah
The current conflict began on March 2, when Israel launched an offensive against Hezbollah after the group opened fire in what it said was retaliation for the killing of Iran's supreme leader at the start of a U.S.-Israeli war on Iran As Israeli warplanes conducted air strikes on Beirut's suburbs, Israel warned it would increase attacks on Lebanese infrastructure
The fighting has triggered a severe humanitarian crisis. According to Lebanon's state news agency, citing the health ministry, Israeli strikes have killed 773 people in the country since March 2 Lebanon's interior minister stated that authorities are unable to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of people who have been displaced and have sought refuge in the capital
In response to the growing crisis, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited Beirut on Friday to seek $308 million in emergency funding to assist Lebanon The escalation and resulting displacement crisis raise concerns about the stability of Lebanon and the potential for a wider regional conflict.
Yasir Rai
