Israel Intensifies Lebanon Offensive, Shuts Key Syria Crossing
Beirut — Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon killed at least 15 people on Sunday and forced the closure of the Masnaa border crossing with Syria after Israel warned it would target the route, Lebanese authorities said.
The strikes, part of an expanded military campaign since March 2 after Hezbollah joined the regional conflict alongside Iran, hit Beirut and areas in southern Lebanon. The Lebanese health ministry said a strike in Beirut’s Jnah district killed at least five people and wounded 52.
Additional attacks included a strike on an apartment building in Ain Saadeh east of Beirut, where three people were killed, including Lebanese Forces official Pierre Mouawad and his wife, according to the state-run National News Agency.
In the southern town of Kfar Hatta, seven people, including a four-year-old girl, were killed, the ministry said.Israel’s military did not immediately comment on the specific strikes. Chief of staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir visited troops in southern Lebanon on Sunday and said operations against Hezbollah would intensify.
Hezbollah said it had fired a cruise missile at an Israeli warship off the coast, but the Israeli military said it was not aware of such an attack.The escalation prompted the closure of the Masnaa crossing, Lebanon’s main land route to Syria. Israel had warned it would strike the crossing, alleging it was being used by Hezbollah to transfer military equipment.
Lebanese and Syrian officials said the crossing, a key civilian and trade artery, was evacuated and shut as a precaution.The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon warned that exchanges of fire near its positions could risk further escalation.Since the conflict expanded, Israeli strikes in Lebanon have killed more than 1,400 people and displaced over one million, according to Lebanese authorities.
A strike in Jnah landed about 100 meters from Rafik Hariri University Hospital, causing damage and panic among patients. Hospital officials said they received dozens of casualties, while witnesses described explosions and falling debris in the area.Residents reported repeated strikes without warning.
Nancy Hassan, a local resident who previously lost her daughter in earlier fighting, said the campaigns had again hit her neighborhood.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called for negotiations to prevent further destruction, particularly in southern regions where Israeli ground forces have advanced.
