Israel launches new strikes at Iran and Lebanon
Digest more
Nearly 700,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon after Israel’s bombing campaign against Hezbollah, the United Nations has said.
By Ahmad Al Kerdi and Alexander Cornwell BEIRUT/JERUSALEM, March 9 (Reuters) - Escalating hostilities have forced nearly 700,000 people to flee their homes in Lebanon, a U.N. agency said on Monday, as the war between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah entered a second week.
Archbishop Gallagher, for his part, affirmed that the Holy See is making the necessary diplomatic contacts to help halt the escalation in Lebanon and prevent the displacement of citizens from their lands. He also assured that Lebanon remains in the prayers of Pope Leo.
The Lebanese parliament has extended its term by two years due to the U.S.-Israel war with Iran, which has pushed the region into an escalating conflict, and Israel stepped up its attacks on Lebanon.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Israel of illegally using white phosphorus in an attack on a residential area in southern Lebanon last week. In a report released on Monday, the organization said
The previous war had been initiated by Hezbollah in solidarity with the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023. This time, many Lebanese were less willing to accept Hezbollah’s decision to engage Israel.
Joseph Aoun, the Lebanese president, called for direct talks with Israel to end the fighting. He also leveled blame at Hezbollah, the Iran-backed group, for igniting the war.
The office of parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri said 76 lawmakers of the 128-seat body had voted in favour of the extension. The vote came a week after Lebanon was dragged into the regional war by militant group Hezbollah's launch of rockets and drones into Israel, which has responded with heavy bombardment across the country.
It has been just over a week since the new escalation in conflict started on 2 March, when Israeli evacuation warnings to residents of more than 53 villages and densely populated areas in Lebanon and intensified airstrikes forced families across Lebanon to flee within minutes.
In a remarkable statement Monday afternoon, Lebanon called for direct talks with Israel on “permanent arrangements for security and stability on our borders,” while accusing the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah of betraying the country.
APTOPIX Lebanon Israel Iran Displaced people fleeing Israeli airstrikes in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, sleep at Martyrs' Square in downtown Beirut, Lebanon ...