US protests scale of Israel's Beirut air campaign

US concerned about airstrikes

Two weeks after Israel launched an offensive in southern Lebanon to repel Hezbollah, evacuation orders from the Israeli army are affecting a quarter of Lebanon's population, according to the UN refugee agency.

Several Western governments have called for a ceasefire between the two countries, as well as in Gaza, but the US continues to affirm its support for Israel, continuing to provide more troops and anti-missile systems.

On Tuesday, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the US had sent a message to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressing concern about recent airstrikes.

He spoke in tougher language than Washington has in recent times, saying: "Given the scale of the bombing campaign in Beirut in recent weeks, we have sent a clear message to the Israeli government about our concerns and our objections."

In addition, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also sent letters to Israeli officials on Sunday, asking for a clear solution to deal with the increasingly serious situation in Gaza and asking these officials to take action within the next 30 days.

Israel has been ramping up pressure on Hezbollah since launching its offensive in southern Lebanon following a series of airstrikes that killed several Hezbollah leaders and commanders, including what was considered the deadliest attack on the group in decades that killed its former secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah last month.

Netanyahu on Tuesday told French President Emmanuel Macron in a phone call that he opposed a unilateral ceasefire and expressed "surprise" at Macron's plan to hold the conference in Lebanon.

In another statement, Netanyahu's office said: "A reminder to the French President: The State of Israel was not established by a United Nations resolution, the State of Israel was established based on the victory we won in the War of Independence."

The Elysee Palace did not respond to a request for comment. The two governments have clashed before, including over Macron’s call to halt arms supplies to Israel.

Pardon and ceasefire

While diplomatic efforts stalled, fighting continued.

On Tuesday, the Israeli military said it had arrested three members of Hezbollah's elite Radwan force, and said the individuals had been brought to Israel for questioning. Hezbollah had no comment.

Earlier on Tuesday, Hezbollah deputy leader Naim Qassem said he would "not spare" Israel but also called for a ceasefire.

Photo: REUTERS/Walid Saleh.

In his speech, Qassem said: "After the signing of the ceasefire, based on indirect terms, settlers can return to the North and the next steps will be negotiated."

There has been no response from Israel. The Israeli military has said the operation in Lebanon is aimed at allowing tens of thousands of people forced to flee northern Israel by Hezbollah attacks to return home.

Qassem asserted that Israelis would continue to be displaced and that "hundreds of thousands, even more than 2 million people, would face danger every hour, every day."

Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 2,350 people in the past year and wounded nearly 11,000, with 1.2 million displaced, according to figures from Lebanon's health ministry.

The death toll does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but also includes hundreds of women and children.

The health ministry said 41 people were killed and 124 wounded on Monday. About 50 Israelis, including civilians and soldiers, have been killed since the fighting began.

The figure reflects the heavy cost Lebanon has borne as Israel fights to destroy Hezbollah and its infrastructure in a long-running conflict that resumed last year after Hezbollah began firing rockets at Israel in support of Hamas in the Gaza war.

Evacuation order

The Middle East division director at the UN refugee agency, Rema Jamous Imseis, said Israeli evacuation orders for communities in southern Lebanon had affected the lives of more than a quarter of the country's population.

In Geneva, she said: "People there heard the evacuation request, and they had to flee with almost no possessions."

Israel continued to expand its bombing campaign on Monday, and local health officials said at least 22 people were killed in an airstrike in northern Lebanon that targeted a house where some evacuees were staying.

Many of them were women and children from the same family.

UN human rights spokesman Jeremy Laurence has called for an investigation into the airstrike, saying it raised concerns about the "laws of war".

Israel has not commented on the airstrike, but insists it has taken every possible measure to avoid civilian casualties.

Israel's current military campaign in Lebanon focuses on the eastern Bekaa Valley, the suburbs around Beirut, and southern Lebanon.

Nguyen Quang Minh (according to Reuters)

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/my-phan-doi-quy-mo-chien-dich-khong-kich-beirut-cua-israel-204241016151441755.htm