Israeli Military Strikes Baalbek, Lebanon, After Issuing Evacuation Orders

According to Lebanon’s health ministry, Israeli military operations have resulted in the deaths of 19 individuals, among them eight women, in the vicinity of Baalbek, a city in eastern Lebanon. These events occurred mere hours after the Israeli military issued evacuation directives for the entire city and two adjacent towns, prompting tens of thousands of inhabitants to depart. Mayor Mustafa al-Shell informed the BBC that over 20 strikes were documented on Wednesday afternoon within the Baalbek region, with five specifically targeting the city, which hosts a Unesco-designated ancient Roman temple complex. The Israeli military stated that its actions targeted Hezbollah’s command-and-control centers and infrastructure in Baalbek and Nabatiyeh, located in southern Lebanon. The military further indicated that it had aimed at Hezbollah fuel depots in the Bekaa Valley, the location of Baalbek. While the military did not provide specific details, Lebanon’s state news agency reported that diesel tanks were struck in the town of Douris. Mr. Shell mentioned that images from Douris displayed a massive plume of black smoke ascending. These assaults coincided with statements from Hezbollah’s newly appointed secretary-general, who affirmed the group’s commitment to its military strategy against Israel under his command and declared it would not “cry out” for a ceasefire. Naim Qassem, speaking the day after his appointment was made public, stated his intention to adhere to the objectives of his predecessor, Hassan Nasrallah, who died in an Israeli air strike in Beirut the previous month. Qassem delivered his address from an undisclosed location, amidst reports indicating his potential relocation to Iran, Hezbollah’s primary backer. Following weeks of aerial operations that have caused extensive damage across significant portions of southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs, the Israeli military seems to be broadening its campaign against Hezbollah into the country’s east, another region where the organization maintains a substantial presence and backing. Baalbek represents a vital population hub within the Bekaa Valley, situated close to the Syrian border. This area is predominantly rural and ranks among Lebanon’s most impoverished regions. Hezbollah has established some of its infrastructure and recruited combatants from this location. Furthermore, the region holds strategic importance for Hezbollah, serving as a segment of a supply route connecting the group to its allies in Syria and Iraq, and ultimately to Iran. On Wednesday morning, the Israeli military issued evacuation directives encompassing all of Baalbek and the adjacent towns of Ain Bourday and Douris, cautioning that it would “act forcefully against Hezbollah interests.” Roula Zeaiter, who serves as the programme manager for the Lebanese Women Democratic Gathering (RDFL), stated that these orders generated widespread panic among the populace, including families displaced from other areas of the nation. She conveyed to the charity ActionAid, “Minutes after the order to leave came, the streets were filled with people grabbing their things, locking their homes and closing their shops.” Zeaiter added, “We’re scrambling like scared mice, moving from place to place. Lebanon is becoming like Gaza, with Israeli forces using the same tactics.” Online videos depicted significant traffic congestion on the primary routes leading out of the city. Mustafa al-Shell estimated that approximately 50,000 individuals evacuated within a two-hour period, though he noted that numerous others opted to remain “for various reasons.” He reported that the initial series of Israeli strikes on Wednesday afternoon impacted villas and other residential structures in Baalbek’s city center and its peripheral areas. He further commented, “It’s not clear what the Israelis have targeted,” and asserted, “But I can tell you that there are no ammunition dumps or weapons caches in Baalbek.” The state-operated National News Agency (NNA) reported that the Ras al-Ain Hills, Amshki, al-Asira, and al-Kayyal Road areas were struck, along with the northern and southern entry points to Baalbek. The agency also indicated that Ain Bourday and Douris were targeted, including diesel tanks located nearby. Subsequently, the Lebanese health ministry announced that 11 individuals, comprising three women, died in an attack on Salibi Farm within the Baalbek area. It further stated that eight additional people, including five women, were killed in a separate strike in Bednayel. The ministry also reported that 11 more people perished in Israeli strikes in Sohmor, a town in the southern Bekaa Valley. Subsequent to the Baalbek strikes, the Israeli military declared it had carried out “intelligence-based strikes on fuel depots located inside military compounds belonging to Hezbollah’s Logistical Reinforcement Unit 4400 in the Bekaa Valley.” The military added that this unit was tasked with transporting weapons from Iran. A subsequent statement indicated that aircraft had “struck command-and-control centres and terrorist infrastructure” in the Baalbek region. The military also leveled accusations against Hezbollah, alleging systematic utilization of civilian infrastructure and zones for military operations, an assertion the group has previously refuted. Mr. Shell confirmed that none of the strikes impacted Baalbek’s Unesco World Heritage site, which consists of Roman temple ruins dating back to the 1st Century AD and are recognized as some of the world’s largest and most well-preserved. Nevertheless, he cautioned against what he termed “Israeli treachery” and stated that Lebanese authorities were “pleading… for international bodies to stand fast in defence of Baalbek’s Roman ruins.” On Wednesday, Unesco issued a warning via a post on X, which included a photograph of the Temple of Jupiter at Baalbek, highlighting that World Heritage sites throughout the Middle East, especially those in Lebanon, faced peril. Unesco stated, “Unesco recalls to all parties their obligation to respect and protect the integrity of these sites. They are the heritage of all humanity and should never be targeted.” On Monday evening, multiple structures were razed near the Gouraud Barracks area of Baalbek, adjacent to the Roman ruins, during Israeli strikes that resulted in over 60 fatalities across the Bekaa Valley. In response to inquiries from reporters in Washington regarding the Baalbek strikes, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller urged Israel to refrain from endangering civilian lives or damaging essential civilian infrastructure and cultural heritage. He additionally confirmed that US Middle East envoys Amos Hochstein and Brett McGurk were “traveling to Israel to engage on issues including a diplomatic resolution in Lebanon, as well as how we get to an end to the conflict in Gaza.” Lebanon’s Prime Minister, Najob Mikati, conveyed optimism regarding the potential for a ceasefire “in the coming hours or days.” Two sources informed Reuters news agency that US mediators were developing a proposal for a 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, intended to facilitate the complete execution of UN Security Council resolution 1701. This resolution concluded their previous conflict in 2006 and stipulated that southern Lebanon should be devoid of any armed personnel or weaponry apart from those belonging to the Lebanese state and a UN peacekeeping force. Israel initiated an offensive against Hezbollah, which it designates as a terrorist organization, following nearly a year of cross-border hostilities ignited by the conflict in Gaza. The Israeli military states its objective is to guarantee the secure return of tens of thousands of inhabitants from northern Israeli border regions who were displaced by rocket attacks. Hezbollah launched these attacks in solidarity with Palestinians the day after its ally Hamas’s lethal assault on Israel on 7 October 2023. The Israeli military reported that approximately 60 projectiles launched by Hezbollah crossed from Lebanon into Israel on Wednesday. No casualties were reported. According to Lebanese authorities, over 2,800 individuals have died in Lebanon since that time, with 2,100 of those fatalities occurring in the last five weeks, and 1.2 million others have been displaced. Israeli authorities indicate that more than 60 people have been killed in northern Israel and the occupied Golan Heights. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our policy on external linking is available.