AFPIsrael launched heavy air strikes on the historic Lebanese city of Baalbek in the eastern Bekaa Valley after tens of thousands of residents fled in response to an evacuation order issued by the Israeli military.
Mayor Mustafa al-Shell told the BBC that more than 20 strikes were reported in the Baalbek area, five of which took place in the city, which has a UNESCO-listed World Heritage Roman temple complex.
Lebanon’s state news agency said diesel tanks in the neighboring town of Duris were also attacked, and Shell said photos showed huge plumes of black smoke rising there.
The Israeli military said it attacked a fuel depot belonging to Hezbollah in the Bekaa Valley, but gave no details.
The attack came as Hezbollah’s new secretary-general said the group would continue to implement its war plans against Israel under his leadership and would not “call loudly” for a ceasefire.
Speaking a day after his appointment was announced, Naim Qasim said he would follow the agenda of his predecessor Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut last month Loss of life.
Qasim spoke from an undisclosed location amid reports he had fled to Iran, Hezbollah’s main backer.
After weeks of airstrikes that devastated much of southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs, the Israeli military appears to be expanding operations against Hezbollah in the east of the country – a group that has a strong presence and support in the region.
Baalbek is an important population center in the Bekaa Valley, close to the Syrian border. It is mainly rural and one of the poorest areas in Lebanon.
Hezbollah has built some of its infrastructure and recruited fighters from there.
The area is also of strategic importance to Hezbollah as it is part of the group’s route to its allies in Syria and Iraq and ultimately to Iran.
Wednesday morning, The Israeli military issued evacuation orders for the entire Baalbek and the neighboring towns of Ain Burdi and Duriswarned that it would “take strong action against Hezbollah’s interests.”
Rula Zeit, program manager of the Democratic Rally of Women in Lebanon (RDFL), said the orders had triggered panic among residents, including displaced families from other parts of the country.
“Minutes after the leave order was given, the streets were filled with people looting, locking up their homes and closing their shops,” she told charity ActionAid.
“We are crawling like frightened rats, moving from one place to another. Lebanon is becoming like Gaza, and the Israeli army is using the same tactics.
Video posted online showed severe traffic jams on the main roads out of the city.
AFPMustafa Sher estimated that around 50,000 people fled within two hours, but added that many others decided to stay “for various reasons”.
He said the first wave of Israeli attacks on Wednesday afternoon hit villas and other residential buildings in the center of Baalbek and its suburbs.
“It’s not clear what Israel’s goals are,” he added. “But I can tell you that there are no ammunition depots or weapons storage in Baalbek.”
The state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported that the Ras al-Ain Mountains, Amshki, Asira, Kayyal Road areas and the northern and southern entrances to Baalbek were hit. The attacks also allegedly targeted Ain Burdi and Duris, including diesel tanks near them.
There have been no reports of any casualties, but the Lebanese Health Ministry did say that Israeli airstrikes killed 11 people in Sohmor, another town in the Bekaa Valley about 70 kilometers south of Baalbek. kilometers (43 miles).
The Israeli military said its aircraft “carried out an intelligence-based attack on fuel depots located within the Hezbollah Logistics Reinforcement Unit 4400 barracks in the Bekaa Valley” on Wednesday.
“This unit is responsible for the transfer of weapons from Iran and its proxies to Hezbollah in Lebanon. These fuel depots provide fuel for Hezbollah military vehicles and are critical to the operation of Hezbollah’s military infrastructure.
Getty ImagesMr Scheer said there was no attack The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Baalbekwhich includes the remains of a Roman temple dating to the first century AD and one of the largest and best-preserved temples in the world.
However, he warned of what he called “Israeli’s betrayal” and said the Lebanese authorities “plead… international institutions to firmly defend the Roman ruins of Baalbek”.
UNESCO issued the warning in a post on X on Wednesday Among them is a photo of the Temple of Jupiter at Baalbek, showing that World Heritage sites in the Middle East, particularly in Lebanon, are under threat.
“UNESCO reminds all parties of their obligation to respect and protect the integrity of these sites. They are the heritage of all humanity and should never be targeted.
Israeli airstrikes in the Bekaa Valley on Monday night killed more than 60 people and leveled several buildings around the Grouud military camp area of Baalbek near Roman ruins.
When asked by reporters in Washington about the Baalbek attack, U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller called on Israel not to threaten civilian lives or damage important civilian infrastructure and cultural heritage.
He also confirmed that U.S. Middle East envoys Amos Hochstein and Brett McGurk were “traveling to Israel to discuss issues including a diplomatic solution in Lebanon and how we end the conflict in Gaza.”
Two sources told Reuters that U.S. mediators are working on a proposal for a 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that would be used to eventually fully implement U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701.
The resolution ended the last war they fought in 2006 and called for southern Lebanon to be free of any armed personnel or weapons other than the Lebanese state and United Nations peacekeepers.
Israel’s attack on Hezbollah, which Israel lists as a terrorist organization, comes after nearly a year of cross-border fighting in Gaza.
The group said it wanted to ensure the safe return of tens of thousands of residents of Israel’s northern border areas displaced by rocket attacks. Palestinians launched rocket attacks.
Since then, more than 2,800 people have been killed in Lebanon, including 2,100 in the past five weeks, and 1.2 million people have been displaced, according to Lebanese authorities.
Israeli authorities say more than 60 people have been killed in northern Israel and the occupied Golan Heights.
