Israeli Strikes Target Lebanon’s Tyre, Safieddine Confirmed Dead \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ Israeli jets struck multiple buildings in Tyre, a historic city in southern Lebanon, as Hezbollah confirmed that Hashem Safieddine, a top official expected to succeed Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike. The strikes follow continued rocket fire from Hezbollah, with some rockets reaching Tel Aviv. As the conflict intensifies, both sides have seen mounting casualties, and thousands of civilians in Tyre have been displaced amid growing instability in the region. The U.S. is seeking to renew ceasefire talks as the situation escalates further.
Israeli Airstrikes Target Tyre: Hezbollah Leader Safieddine Killed – Quick Looks
- Hezbollah leadership hit: Israeli airstrikes killed Hashem Safieddine, a top Hezbollah official poised to become the group’s next leader.
- Intensifying strikes: Israeli jets bombed several buildings in Tyre, forcing thousands to flee after evacuation warnings.
- Hezbollah rocket fire: Rockets fired at Israel, some intercepted over Tel Aviv, as Hezbollah expands its range of attacks.
- Rising casualties: Death toll in Lebanon grows, with 28 killed in 24 hours and 1.2 million displaced by the conflict.
- U.S. diplomatic efforts: Secretary of State Antony Blinken continues his push for ceasefire talks as fighting escalates.
Deep Look
On Wednesday, Israeli airstrikes targeted multiple buildings in the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre, marking a sharp escalation in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. As black smoke billowed into the sky over the ancient city, Hezbollah confirmed the death of a senior official, Hashem Safieddine, in an Israeli strike. Safieddine, a powerful figure within Hezbollah and the cleric expected to succeed the group’s longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs earlier this month.
The death of Safieddine deals a significant blow to Hezbollah’s leadership as the group continues to engage in near-daily rocket attacks on Israeli cities. Hezbollah’s confirmation of his death on Wednesday came after Israel claimed responsibility for killing Safieddine days earlier, alongside several other senior Hezbollah figures. This news has amplified tensions in Lebanon, where the conflict between Hezbollah and Israeli forces has become increasingly deadly.
Israeli jets struck buildings in Tyre following a fresh barrage of rockets fired from Hezbollah into Israel, including two that were intercepted by Israel’s defense system over Tel Aviv. Israeli military officials stated that their airstrikes were aimed at Hezbollah assets within Tyre, though they did not specify the exact nature of the targets. The Israeli military issued evacuation warnings to civilians in Tyre several hours before the strikes, instructing them to leave their homes and move north of the Awali River.
Tyre, an ancient city and UNESCO World Heritage site known for its Roman ruins and historic Phoenician harbor, has increasingly become a focal point of Israeli airstrikes. While the city had largely been spared from heavy bombardment earlier in the conflict, recent weeks have seen an escalation in military activity in and around Tyre, with Israeli forces targeting areas believed to be used by Hezbollah militants. The strikes on Wednesday hit six buildings, flattening four of them entirely, according to local officials. However, no casualties were reported in Tyre itself due to the evacuation efforts carried out prior to the attacks.
Ali Safieddine, the head of Lebanon’s Civil Defense, told the Associated Press that first responders used loudspeakers to warn residents and helped evacuate older adults and others with mobility issues. “It’s very difficult for many to leave. They’re worried about being subjected to further chaos and displacement,” Safieddine said, adding that despite the evacuation orders, thousands of residents remain in Tyre, including many who have fled from neighboring villages in southern Lebanon. Prior to the war, Tyre had a population of around 100,000, but roughly 15,000 people are estimated to remain in the city, according to Mortada Mhanna, the head of Tyre’s disaster management unit.
Among those displaced in Tyre are hundreds of families who fled villages closer to the Israeli border, seeking refuge in shelters throughout the city. Many of these families had hoped Tyre would offer more safety than their home villages, but the intensifying airstrikes have left the city under siege. “It’s not safe here anymore,” Mhanna said, as displaced residents took shelter in parks and along roadsides.
The escalation in Tyre is part of a broader military campaign that has enveloped southern Lebanon in the aftermath of the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel from Gaza. The attack by Hamas, which ignited the current conflict, triggered a wave of retaliatory airstrikes by Israel, and Hezbollah, a close ally of Hamas, soon began launching its own rocket attacks against Israeli targets. Since then, the situation in southern Lebanon has rapidly deteriorated into all-out war, with Israeli ground forces invading the region at the beginning of October.
Despite the evacuation orders in Tyre, Hezbollah has continued its rocket attacks on Israel. On Wednesday, rockets fired from southern Lebanon triggered air raid sirens in Tel Aviv, marking the latest in a series of long-range strikes by Hezbollah. Although most of the projectiles were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome defense system, the ongoing rocket fire has caused widespread disruption in northern Israel, displacing tens of thousands of residents. Over the past few weeks, Hezbollah has expanded its range of attacks, regularly targeting the Israeli city of Haifa and other northern communities.
The Israeli military has responded to these attacks with near-daily airstrikes, targeting Hezbollah positions across southern Lebanon. In the town of Maarakeh, located near Tyre, three people were killed on Wednesday in an Israeli airstrike, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency. These strikes have not only targeted Hezbollah’s military infrastructure but also affected civilian areas, further inflaming tensions and contributing to the rising death toll in Lebanon.
The Lebanese Health Ministry reported that 28 people were killed, and 139 were wounded over the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll in Lebanon since the conflict began to over 2,500. The U.N. estimates that 1.2 million people have been displaced within Lebanon, many of whom are women and children. The situation in Lebanon is part of a broader humanitarian crisis that has unfolded across the region, as both Israel and Hezbollah engage in increasingly destructive military operations.
As Israeli airstrikes continue, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in the region on Wednesday in an effort to renew ceasefire talks. Blinken’s visit comes as the U.S. has warned Israel that hindering humanitarian aid to Gaza could jeopardize American military support. In northern Gaza, Israeli forces have pressed ahead with a major offensive, while tens of thousands of Palestinians have fled southward. Blinken’s visit, which included meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, underscores the international community’s growing concern over the escalating violence.
While much of the focus has been on Gaza, the situation in Lebanon is rapidly becoming a second front in the war. Hezbollah’s leadership, already weakened by the loss of Nasrallah and Safieddine, continues to push forward with its rocket attacks, drawing Israeli airstrikes deeper into Lebanese territory. The U.N. has warned that the conflict could trigger a broader regional war, as Hezbollah maintains strong ties with Iran and other groups across the Middle East.
In the midst of these developments, civilian casualties on both sides continue to mount. On the Israeli side, Hezbollah’s rocket attacks have killed around 60 people, many of whom were soldiers stationed in northern Israel. Daily barrages have emptied entire communities across northern Israel, forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes. Despite the protection offered by Israel’s missile defense systems, the psychological toll of the conflict is palpable, with residents living under the constant threat of rocket fire.
In Lebanon, the situation remains dire, as hospitals struggle to cope with the influx of wounded civilians. In Beirut, an Israeli airstrike on Monday killed at least 18 people, including four children, and severely damaged the Rafik Hariri University Hospital, Beirut’s primary public medical facility. The strike on the hospital’s vicinity further exacerbated Lebanon’s already strained healthcare system, and first responders are now working around the clock to assist those injured in both Beirut and southern Lebanon.
As the conflict drags on, the humanitarian crisis continues to deepen, with millions of people affected by the fighting. The United Nations and aid organizations have called for immediate action to protect civilians and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to those trapped in conflict zones. However, with no signs of de-escalation on either side, the prospect of a ceasefire remains uncertain.
The Israeli strikes on Tyre and the confirmation of Safieddine’s death signal a significant escalation in the conflict, raising fears of further violence in the coming weeks. As Hezbollah continues to launch rocket attacks and Israel responds with airstrikes, the cycle of retaliation shows no signs of slowing, leaving civilians on both sides to bear the brunt of the violence.
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