TEL AVIV, Israel (AP).—Israel yesterday expanded its bombing of Lebanon and reached the southern suburbs of Beirut with 12 airstrikes, in addition to hitting for the first time a Palestinian refugee camp in the north of the country, in an attack against Hezbollah and Hamas fighters.
Tens of thousands of people in Lebanon, including Palestinian refugees, continued to flee the conflict in the region, while marches were held around the world to mark the anniversary of the start of the war in Gaza.
The attack on the Beddawi refugee camp, near the northern city of Tripoli, killed a leader of Hamas’s military wing, as well as his wife and young daughters, the Palestinian insurgent group said in a statement.
Hamas later reported that another member of its military wing was killed in an Israeli attack in the Bekaa Valley (eastern Lebanon).
Israeli forces say they have killed several officers from Hamas’s military wing in Lebanon, where the intensity of fighting has increased in recent weeks. Israel has killed several Hamas officers there since the start of the war against the insurgent group, as well as most of the top leaders of the political-paramilitary group Hezbollah.
Columns of smoke dominated the horizon of the towns south of Beirut, where Hezbollah has a strong presence. Israel claims its attacks are aimed at Hezbollah commanders and military equipment, and that their goal is to drive the group away from their mutual border.
Some 1,400 people, including Hezbollah fighters and civilians, have been killed and around 1.2 million have had to flee their homes in less than two weeks.
Hezbollah, Lebanon’s most powerful armed force that is also backed by Iran, began launching rockets into Israel almost immediately after the Hamas attack on October 7, saying it was a show of support for the Palestinians.
Hezbollah and the Israeli army have exchanged fire almost daily.
Last week, Israel launched what it called a limited ground operation in southern Lebanon, following a series of attacks that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and others.
Nine Israeli soldiers have been killed in intense ground clashes in which Israel says 250 Hezbollah fighters have been killed.
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