Beirut death toll rises as Israeli Hezbollah conflict escalates

Two Israeli airstrikes killed at least 45 people after they hit the southern suburb of Da'ahia in the Lebanese capital; among those who died were children and women, and injured several others.

‌The target is high-up commanders in the Hezbollah organization. Officials announced 16 of its members were killed, including a senior official, Ibrahim Aqil.

According to the Israeli Defense forces, it was believed that in the nine-story building, high-ranking commanders of Hezbollah were meeting.‌

Now, destroyed cars, destroyed buildings, and bulldozers make up the scene in South Beirut after an Airstrike.

Rescue teams continue to look for those who are missing, cutting through metal bars and digging up leftover debris, and all that while disappointment and anger are growing.

"I came here because there was a massacre in a civilian building. You know, just an ordinary residential building with people who believe in God, in their homes, and then the bombing intensified," an eyewitness of the airstrike told CGTN. "In the massacre, I lost my cousin, his wife, two of their daughters, and my granddaughter, who was only four years old," he added.

This airstrike, occurring just days after the initial attacks and incidents involving pagers and walkie-talkies exploding, is believed to have escalated the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

It marks the third attack in a week, and local political analysts warn the conflict is now entering a new phase.

‌"The resistance today is not simply engaging in border skirmishes with Israel; it has reached a new level of strategic challenge concerning the settlers' existence in Galilee," political analyst at the Association of Political Analysts, Hadi Kobaysi, told CGTN. "For Israel to relocate its settlers back to Galilee, it must reverse its actions in Gaza by ending the genocide, leaving Gaza to its people. This attack only has fostered widespread anger, a strong sense of nationalism, and national solidarity within Lebanon against Israeli aggression," he added.

‌The sense around Beirut is of anger and unity, but also fear, fear that this further escalation, away from Gaza and into Lebanon, could lead to something bigger than just a regional conflict.

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