Israel Escalates Lebanon Strikes, Forces Key Syria Border Crossing Shutdown
Beirut— Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon killed at least 15 people on Sunday and forced the closure of the main border crossing with Syria after Israel warned it would target the route, Lebanese authorities and officials said.
The strikes, part of an intensified campaign since early March after Hezbollah joined the regional conflict alongside Iran, hit multiple regions including Beirut and southern Lebanon.
The Lebanese health ministry said an attack in Beirut’s Jnah neighborhood killed at least five people and wounded 52.Additional strikes included an apartment building in Ain Saadeh east of Beirut, where three people were killed, among them 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.The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the specific strikes or their intended targets.
Israeli military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir visited troops in southern Lebanon on Sunday and said operations against Hezbollah would intensify.Hezbollah said it had launched a cruise missile toward an Israeli warship off the coast, though the Israeli military said it was not aware of such an incident.
The escalation prompted the closure of the Masnaa border crossing, the main transit point between Lebanon and Syria. Israel’s military had warned it would strike the crossing, alleging Hezbollah was using it to transport military equipment.
Lebanese and Syrian officials said the crossing, a key trade and civilian route, was evacuated and temporarily shut.Clashes near United Nations positions raised concerns of broader escalation.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon warned that continued exchanges of fire in proximity to its forcea could trigger retaliatory responses.Since the start of the conflict, Israeli strikes in Lebanon have killed more than 1,400 people, including 126 children, and displaced over one million population, according to Lebanese authorities.
The strike in Jnah landed close to Rafik Hariri University Hospital, causing structural damage and panic among patients, hospital officials said. Medical staff reported receiving dozens of casualties, while nearby residents described repeated explosions and falling debris.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun renewed calls for negotiations with Israel, urging efforts to prevent further destruction, particularly in the south where Israeli ground operations have expanded.
