Lebanese media footage showed explosions and clouds of smoke amid reports that buildings were levelled to the ground [Getty]
Lebanon Prime Minister Najib Mikati has accused Israel of rejecting a ceasefire after the Israeli military on Friday bombed southern Beirut for the first time in a week.
At least 10 strikes hit the southern suburbs of the capital before dawn after the Israeli military issued evacuation warnings early Friday morning – when people were likely deep asleep.
Lebanese media footage showed explosions and clouds of smoke amid reports that buildings were levelled to the ground.
“The raids left massive destruction in the targeted areas, as dozens of buildings were levelled to the ground, in addition to the outbreak of fires,” Lebanon’s National News Agency reported, adding that strikes also targeted Aley, southeast of the capital, and Bint Jbeil in the country’s south.
It came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met US officials to discuss a possible deal to end the war in Lebanon, ahead of Tuesday’s US presidential election.
Mikati condemned the “expansion” of Israel’s attacks, saying they signalled a refusal to engage in truce efforts.
“The Israeli enemy’s renewed expansion… and its renewed targeting of the southern suburbs of Beirut with destructive raids are all indicators that confirm the Israeli enemy’s rejection of all efforts being made to secure a ceasefire,” he said.
Afterwards, the NNA reported that Israeli warplanes conducted fresh strikes on the eastern city of Baalbek, home to UNESCO-designated Roman ruins.
On Thursday, strikes on Baalbek in eastern Lebanon left six dead, the news agency said, adding six others were killed in raids on Maqna.
US asks Beirut to declare ‘unilateral ceasefire’
Reports circulated on Lebanese media on Friday that Washington had asked Lebanon to declare a “unilateral ceasefire” with Israel in a bid to revive talks. The reports cited diplomatic sources saying the effort was communicated by US envoy Amos Hochstein to Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati this week.Â
It added that a unilateral declaration was perceived as an act of surrender by Beirut, so the offer was rejected.
Mikati’s office in a statement to Reuters denied the US had asked Lebanon to declare a unilateral ceasefire.
It said the government’s stance was clear on seeking a ceasefire from both sides and the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the last round of conflict between the two foes in 2006.
The New Arab contacted the US embassy in Beirut for comments.
It was not the first time Hochstein had proposed the idea, with sources saying that he had asked Lebanese officials, Mikati and Speaker Nabih Berri, to request that Hezbollah declares a unilateral ceasefire before.
“His exact words were, ‘help me, help you”, a diplomat source told Reuters, adding that then-Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah rejected the idea.
Despite its losses, Hezbollah has maintained that its chain of command was intact and its fighters have kept Israeli forces making ground incursions into Lebanon at bay.
On Thursday, Hezbollah announced that its forces had killed at least 95 Israeli troops and injured some 900 others.
The US has been pushing for a 60-day ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel as a prelude to a fuller implementation of 1701.
Hochstein was in Israel on Thursday with White House envoy Brett McGurk, but they did not continue onto Lebanon in an apparent sign that Israel had not agreed to any deal.
Israel pursues ‘Philadelphi corridor’ strategy for Lebanon-Syria border control
The New Arab‘s Arabic-language edition Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported that Netanyahu had recently intensified calls for closing off Lebanon and Syria’s border crossings, claiming it was necessary to prevent weapons from reaching Hezbollah.
The report said there were concerns that the Israeli prime minister was seeking a “Philadelphi corridor” strategy to control Lebanon’s air, land and sea to thwart any potential hostilities.
The Israeli daily Haaretz reported on Friday that Netanyahu had increased focus on the Syria-Lebanon border, saying it was vital to close off the border crossings to stop the transfer of weapons and fighters to Hezbollah.
The report said the calls had raised suspicions on whether Netanyahu was creating a new pretext to invade the border areas and create a corridor similar to that on the Egypt-Gaza Salah al-Din route.
The daily also reported that the UAE, among other Gulf states, had also focused on this issue and had offered assistance in restoring the Damascus International Airport – which Israel had bombed multiple times.
Israel has indicated it will not interfere with the airport’s restoration but would not hesitate to strike it again if weapons smuggling resumes.
The Israeli daily said Netanyahu had hinted at a longer conflict during his Thursday meeting with the US envoys McGurk and Hochstein, stating that any ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah must ensure “Israel’s security”.
During an Israeli officers graduation ceremony, Netanyahu firmly stated he would keep the wars going until Hamas and Hezbollah are completely “dismantled”.
