Israel launched airstrikes on Beirut's southern suburbs and other areas of Lebanon on Saturday, a day after carrying out a massive attack on Hezbollah's headquarters that appeared to be aimed at killing its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, Reuters reported today.
Reuters journalists heard over 20 airstrikes in Beirut before dawn on Saturday and more after sunrise. Smoke could be seen rising over the city's Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs, known as the Dahieh.
Following the developments, a growing number of analysts have reacted to the deadly incident in the Arab country.
“Israel just struck Dahiyeh again - a Beirut suburb home to 700,000. Israel transforms residential areas into targets by saying 'terrorist' once bc of work of racism & colonialism. These are attacks on civilians w/o regard to distinction bw civilian & militants. Ipso facto criminal,” Human Rights attorney from the US Noura Erakat said.
Cofounder of peace group CODEPINK from the US Medea Benjamin said, “Furious and heartbroken watching Netanyahu spread lies at the UN while US bombs fall on Beirut. But there’s hope—in the streets, in the people, rising up to demand justice for Palestine and Lebanon. We won’t stop until this genocide ends.”
“I really need someone to explain to me how bombing 6 tower blocks in Beirut is different from bombing the twin towers. Like how,” the Swiss analyst Julia Steinberger stated.
This is Zionism, Yipeng Ge said, adding, “Carpet bombing a densely populated area that houses hundreds of thousands of people.”
“The scenes coming out of Beirut are heartbreaking. What is there left to say? Shame on every single person arming and enabling Israel's mass slaughter. Shame,” Hamza Yusuf, the reporter of the “Declassified UK” pointed out.
Lebanese activist Mohamad Safa said, “Israel just bombed a residential area in Beirut, Lebanon where over 200,000 people were sheltering from the bombing and violated Security Council resolution SCR 1701 with absolutely no consequences.” The expert went on to describe the deadly attack as “a war crime”.
“Israel used 2000-pound bunker buster bombs to flatten 6 buildings in south Beirut today. These are US-supplied bombs,” an international correspondent Rania Khalek said.
“And Biden and Harris just approved $8 billion more in military aid to continue these atrocities. This is hell.”
British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan said, “Muslims and Arabs were expected to condemn 9/11. Condemn 7/7. Condemn 10/7.”
“How many in the West will condemn this?” he asked.
“Who knows how many civilians were killed by Israel today in Beirut? Residential buildings packed with families just wiped out. Barbarism.”
“We know who the enemy of peace is. And unfortunately, he has a name. He’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu!”, Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party of Canada said.
Associate Professor of International Politics Karim Makdisi touched on three points: “Israelis are committing war crimes all over Lebanon, now hitting health facilities/civilian infrastructure.”
“US will protect/arm Israel at all levels. Arab lives don’t matter,” he added.
He went on to say, “West media will justify Israeli crimes.”
At least six people were killed and 91 were wounded, AP quoted Lebanon’s health ministry as saying on Saturday.
The death toll is likely to rise significantly as teams comb through the rubble of six buildings. Israel launched a series of strikes on other areas of the southern suburbs following the initial blast, the source added.
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