Israel strikes historic Lebanese city of Baalbek after ordering evacuation

Israel has carried retired dense aerial strikes successful Lebanon’s historical metropolis of Baalbek successful nan eastbound Bekaa Valley, aft tens of thousands residents fled successful consequence to removal orders issued by nan Israeli military.

Mayor Mustafa al-Shell told nan BBC that much than 20 strikes were reported successful nan Baalbek area, pinch 5 wrong nan metropolis itself, wherever location is simply a Unesco-listed ancient Roman temple complex.

Lebanon’s authorities news agency said diesel tanks were besides deed successful nan neighbouring municipality of Douris, wherever Mr Shell said pictures showed a immense file of achromatic fume rising into nan air.

The Israeli subject said it struck substance depots belonging to Hezbollah successful nan Bekaa Valley, without giving details.

The attacks came arsenic Hezbollah’s caller secretary-general said nan group would proceed its warfare scheme against Israel nether his activity and that it would not “cry out” for a ceasefire.

Speaking a time aft his assignment was announced, Naim Qassem said he would travel nan schedule of his predecessor, Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed successful an Israeli aerial onslaught successful Beirut past month.

Qassem made nan reside from an undisclosed location amid reports suggesting he had fled to Iran, which is Hezbollah’s main supporter.

After weeks of an aerial violative that has brought devastation to ample parts of confederate Lebanon and Beirut’s confederate suburbs, nan Israeli subject appears to beryllium expanding its run against Hezbollah successful nan eastbound of nan state - different area wherever nan group has a beardown beingness and support.

Baalbek is simply a cardinal organization centre successful nan Bekaa Valley, adjacent nan separator pinch Syria. It is simply a mostly agrarian area and 1 of Lebanon’s poorest regions.

Hezbollah has established portion of its infrastructure and recruited fighters from there.

The area is besides strategically important for Hezbollah, arsenic it is portion of a way linking nan group to its friends successful Syria and Iraq and, ultimately, to Iran.

On Wednesday morning, the Israeli subject issued removal orders for nan full of Baalbek and nan neighbouring towns of Ain Bourday and Douris, informing that it would “act forcefully against Hezbollah interests”.

Roula Zeaiter, programme head for nan Lebanese Women Democratic Gathering (RDFL), said nan orders sparked panic among residents, including displaced families from different parts of nan country.

"Minutes aft nan bid to time off came, nan streets were filled pinch group grabbing their things, locking their homes and closing their shops,” she told nan kindness ActionAid.

“We’re scrambling for illustration frightened mice, moving from spot to place. Lebanon is becoming for illustration Gaza, pinch Israeli forces utilizing nan aforesaid tactics.”

Videos posted online showed immense postulation jams connected nan main roads retired of nan city.

Mustafa al-Shell estimated that astir 50,000 group fled wrong 2 hours, but he added that galore others decided to enactment down “for various reasons”.

He said nan first activity of Israeli strikes connected Wednesday day deed villas and different residential buildings successful Baalbek’s metropolis centre and its outskirts.

“It’s not clear what nan Israelis person targeted,” he added. “But I tin show you that location are nary ammunition dumps aliases weapons caches successful Baalbek.”

The state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported that nan Ras al-Ain Hills, Amshki, al-Asira, al-Kayyal Road areas were hit, and nan bluish and confederate entrances to Baalbek. The strikes besides targeted Ain Bourday and Douris, including diesel tanks successful its vicinity, it said.

There were nary contiguous reports of immoderate casualties, but nan Lebanese wellness ministry did opportunity that Israeli strikes killed 11 group successful Sohmor, different municipality successful nan Bekaa Valley astir 70km (43 miles) southbound of Baalbek.

The Israeli subject said its craft conducted “intelligence-based strikes connected substance depots located wrong subject compounds belonging to Hezbollah’s Logistical Reinforcement Unit 4400 successful nan Bekaa Valley” connected Wednesday.

“The portion is responsible for transferring weapons from Iran and its proxies to Hezbollah successful Lebanon. These substance depots supplied substance for Hezbollah’s subject vehicles and were captious to nan cognition of Hezbollah’s subject infrastructure,” it added.

Mr Shell said nary of nan strikes deed Baalbek’s Unesco World Heritage site, which comprises nan ruins of Roman temples which day backmost to nan 1st Century AD and are among nan largest and best-preserved successful nan world.

However, he warned of what he called “Israeli treachery” and said Lebanese authorities were “pleading... for world bodies to guidelines accelerated successful defence of Baalbek's Roman ruins”.

Unesco warned successful a station connected X connected Wednesday that featured a photograph of nan Temple of Jupiter astatine Baalbek, that World Heritage sites crossed nan Middle East, peculiarly those successful Lebanon, were nether threat.

“Unesco recalls to each parties their responsibility to respect and protect nan integrity of these sites. They are nan practice of each humanity and should ne'er beryllium targeted,” it said.

On Monday night, respective buildings were levelled astir nan Gouraud Barracks area of Baalbek, adjacent nan Roman ruins, during Israeli strikes that killed much than 60 group crossed nan Bekaa Valley.

When asked by reporters successful Washington astir nan Baalbek strikes, US authorities section spokesperson Matthew Miller said called connected Israel not to frighten nan lives of civilians aliases harm captious civilian infrastructure and taste heritage.

He besides confirmed that US Middle East envoys Amos Hochstein and Brett McGurk were “traveling to Israel to prosecute connected issues including a negotiated solution successful Lebanon, arsenic good arsenic really we get to an extremity to nan conflict successful Gaza”.

Two sources told Reuters news agency that US mediators were moving connected a connection for a 60-day ceasefire betwixt Israel and Hezbollah which would beryllium utilized to finalise nan afloat implementation of UN Security Council solution 1701.

The solution ended nan past warfare they fought successful 2006 and included a telephone for confederate Lebanon to beryllium free of immoderate equipped unit aliases weapons different than those of nan Lebanese authorities and a UN peacekeeping force.

Israel went connected nan violative against Hezbollah - which it proscribes arsenic a violent organisation - aft almost a twelvemonth of cross-border fighting sparked by nan warfare successful Gaza.

It says it wants to guarantee nan safe return of tens of thousands of residents of bluish Israeli separator areas displaced by rocket attacks, which Hezbollah launched successful support of Palestinians nan time aft its state Hamas’s deadly onslaught connected Israel connected 7 October 2023.

More than 2,800 group person been killed successful Lebanon since then, including 2,100 successful nan past 5 weeks, and 1.2 cardinal others displaced, according to Lebanese authorities.

Israeli authorities opportunity much than 60 group person been killed successful bluish Israel and nan occupied Golan Heights.