Another mass casualty event has occurred in Lebanon, as national media says that on Wednesdayeight people died, including two children, when Israeli strikes targeted cars on a highway south of Beirut.
Israeli media itselfdescribedthat "The three separate airstrikes were carried out well beyond the main theater of conflict in the south, targeting vehicles on the coastal highway in an area around 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Beirut, security sources said." The attack was reportedly carried out by drones.
"Images showed a burnt-out car in the middle of the road and rescuers carrying a body at one of the sites, near Jiyeh,"Times of Israelcontinues. "On Saturday, similar strikes targeted two other cars in the same area."
There was no immediate comment or explanation from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in wake of the bombings. Photographs of bombed-out and charred cars have widely circulated in the aftermath.
Hezbollah has meanwhile remained opposed to formal talks between the Israeli and Lebanese governments, with the Iran-backed Shia paramilitary group not participating.
The next round of negotiations are expected in Washington on Thursday, and they will be overseen by the State Department.
From Israel's perspective, this means the ceasefire doesn't extend to Hezbollah, and it currently has an IDF ground force inside southern Lebanon, amid tit-for-tat drone and missile strikes.
According to the latest on evacuation orders in the south, Al Jazeerawrites:
On Wednesday morning, the Israeli military issued forced displacement orders for the residents of Meiss el-Jabal, Yanouh, Burj Shemali, Hula, Debl and Aabbasiyyeh, warning that it will soon act against these six southern Lebanese villages “forcefully”.
Anyone who remains “endangers their life,”the military said, warning residents to move at least 1,000 metres (0.6 miles) away to “open areas”.
Source: ZeroHedge News
