Israel intensifies attacks on Lebanon but claims ceasefire agreement ‘close’

Israeli attacks hit commercial and residential buildings in Beirut on Monday as well as in the port city of Tyre, where several people were killed – adding to the more than 3,700 people in Lebanon who have been killed by Israeli attacks in this two-month war.

Israeli officials say they targeted areas known as Hezbollah strongholds. They issued evacuation orders for Beirut’s southern suburbs, and attacks landed across the city, including metres from a Lebanese police base and the city’s largest public park.

Israeli attacks across Lebanon in recent days were “more powerful, more destructive, more frequent and happening more often without warning – leaving people no time to get out of the way of Israeli missiles and drones, according to reports.

The barrages came as the Israeli ambassador to the United States said a ceasefire deal to end fighting between Israel and Lebanese group Hezbollah could be reached “within days”.

Ambassador Mike Herzog told Israeli Army Radio on Monday that there remain “points to finalise” and any deal requires agreement from the government. But he stated, “We are close to a deal”.

Israeli officials said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet was set to convene on Tuesday to discuss a proposed ceasefire.

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, said Israel would maintain an ability to strike southern Lebanon under any agreement. Lebanon has previously objected to wording that would grant Israel such a right.

The US has pushed for a deal to end over a year of hostilities between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel, which erupted in parallel with Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza and has drastically escalated over the last two months.

In Beirut, Elias Bou Saab, Lebanon’s deputy parliament speaker, told the Reuters news agency there were “no serious obstacles” left to start implementing a US-proposed ceasefire with Israel, “unless Netanyahu changes his mind”.

He added the proposal would entail an Israeli military withdrawal from south Lebanon and regular Lebanese soldiers deploying in the border region, long a Hezbollah stronghold, within 60 days.

A sticking point on who would monitor compliance with the ceasefire had been resolved in the last 24 hours with an agreement to set up a five-country committee that includes France and is chaired by the US, he continued.

But Bou Saab also accused Israel of ramping up its bombardment in order to pressure Lebanon to make concessions in indirect ceasefire negotiations with Hezbollah because “we are close to the hour that is decisive regarding reaching a ceasefire”.

After previous hopes for a ceasefire were dashed, US officials cautioned that negotiations were not yet complete and noted that there could be last-minute hitches that either delay or destroy an agreement.

“We have made significant progress with getting towards a resolution,” US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

“But we are not done yet. Nothing is final until everything is final.”

The French presidency reported “significant progress” in talks on a ceasefire and urged Israel and Hezbollah to “seize this opportunity”.

But hostilities continue to intensify despite the reported diplomatic progress. Over the weekend, Israel carried out powerful attacks, one of which killed dozens of people in central Beirut, while Hezbollah unleashed one of its biggest rocket salvos yet on Sunday, firing hundreds of missiles into Israel.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported Israeli attacks since October 2023 have killed 3,768 people in Lebanon and forced more than one million people from their homes.

Hezbollah strikes have killed 45 civilians in northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. At least 73 Israeli soldiers have been killed in northern Israel, the Golan Heights and in combat in southern Lebanon, according to Israeli authorities.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has announced that Lebanon is going through its deadliest period in decades.

“The UN aid coordination office, OCHA, warned that Lebanon is facing its deadliest period in decades, with an unprecedented humanitarian crisis affecting more than a million people,” the agency pointed out.

“On average, 250 people have been killed every week this month, bringing the death toll to more than 3,700 since the escalation of hostilities in October 2023,” OCHA added.