Israeli strikes set off explosions in Beirut suburbs, kill 31 in Gaza

Deir al-Balah: Israeli airstrikes killed at least 31 people in the Gaza Strip, including 11 at a makeshift cafeteria in an Israeli-declared humanitarian zone, medical officials said. In Lebanon, warplanes struck the capital Beirut’s southern suburbs on Tuesday after the military warned people to evacuate a number of homes.

The new bombardment on both fronts comes on the verge of a deadline set by the United States for Israel to dramatically ramp up humanitarian aid allowed in Gaza or risk possible restrictions on US military funding. A group of eight international aid agencies said in a report on Tuesday that Israel has failed to meet the US demands.

In Lebanon, large explosions shook Beirut’s southern suburbs - an area known as Dahiyeh, where Hezbollah has a significant presence - soon after the Israeli military issued evacuation warnings for 11 houses there.

There was no immediate word on casualties. The military said the houses contained Hezbollah installations, but the claim could not be independently confirmed.

Late Monday night, a strike hit the village of Ain Yaacoub in northern Lebanon, killing at least 16 people, the Lebanese civil defense said. Four of the killed were Syrian refugees, and there were another 10 people wounded. There was no immediate Israeli military comment on the strike.

Israel has been carrying out intensified bombardment of Lebanon since late September, vowing to cripple Hezbollah and put a stop to more than year of cross-border fire by the Lebanese militant group.

Israeli strikes across Gaza kill 31

At the same time, Israel has continued its campaign in Gaza, now more than 13 months old, triggered by Hamas’ Oct 7, 2023 attack into southern Israel.

An Israeli strike late Monday hit a makeshift cafeteria used by displaced people in Muwasi, the centre of a “humanitarian zone” that Israel’s military declared earlier in the war.

At least 11 people were killed, including two children, according to officials at Nasser Hospital, where the casualties were taken.