People flee south of Beirut after Israel indicates new attacks in the city

The streets of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, on the outskirts of the city's southern suburbs, known as Dahiyeh, were congested this Monday (1st), with people fleeing Hezbollah's stronghold following the order of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu ordered attacks on the southern suburbs of Beirut, controlled by Hezbollah, this Monday, signaling an even greater escalation of the war, which has complicated mediation to resolve the conflict between the United States and Iran.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that Israeli attacks in Lebanon were among the factors causing the delay in the diplomatic process to end the war between the US and Iran, reiterating that a ceasefire in Lebanon was an integral part of any agreement.

Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered Israeli armed forces to attack "terrorist targets" in the southern suburbs of Beirut following "repeated violations" of the ceasefire and "attacks against our cities and citizens" by Hezbollah, according to a statement from Netanyahu's office.

Having bombed Dahiyeh in the first weeks of the war, Israel has carried out only two attacks in the region since US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire in Lebanon on April 16, even as hostilities intensified in the south of the country.

Israel captures 900-year-old castle
The order comes after hostilities intensified in the south of the country over the weekend, with Israeli troops capturing the 900-year-old Beaufort Castle and Netanyahu ordering the armed forces to expand ground operations.

Lebanese authorities say more than 3,370 people have been killed in the country as a result of Israeli attacks since March 2, when Hezbollah opened fire on Israel in support of Iran, which was under joint American and Israeli attack.

Israel says 24 of its soldiers and four civilians were killed in the same period.

Israel has established a self-declared security zone in southern Lebanon, where it has been razing villages, claiming the aim is to protect northern Israel from Hezbollah militants infiltrating civilian areas.

The war in Lebanon has been the bloodiest outcome of the US and Israeli conflict against Iran, forcing more than a million people to flee their homes, according to Lebanese authorities.

On Sunday (31), Netanyahu ordered the Israeli armed forces to expand "their ground maneuvers in Lebanon", aiming to "deepen and expand our control over places that were under the control of Hezbollah".

Accusing Israel of ceasefire violations and declaring the right to resist Israeli occupation, Hezbollah said it carried out 21 operations on Sunday, including launching a salvo of rockets against what it described as Israeli military infrastructure in the Israeli city of Nahariya.

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France convenes UN security council
Citing the escalation of violence in Lebanon, France has called an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council for this Monday (1st).

The United States has hosted a series of rare meetings between representatives of the governments of Israel and Lebanon since the outbreak of hostilities, with Beirut attending despite strong objections from Hezbollah.

But a Lebanese source familiar with diplomacy between Beirut and Washington said Netanyahu's announcement on Monday reflected the deterioration of US-led diplomatic negotiations in recent days.

An American official said on Sunday (31) that Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about diplomatic negotiations between Israel and Lebanon and that he proposed a plan to allow for a "gradual de-escalation."

The US proposed that, as pr As a first step, Hezbollah will cease all attacks against Israel and, in return, Israel will refrain from intensifying the conflict in Beirut, the official said.

"This would create space for a gradual de-escalation and effective cessation of hostilities," the official said.

The official source added that Aoun tried to move forward with the proposal and secure a deal. However, Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament Nabih Berri, who claimed to "guarantee" Hezbollah's commitment to a ceasefire, placed the onus on Israel to "stop shooting first."

Berri, a close Hezbollah ally, in a comment carried by Lebanese media on Sunday, said he would guarantee "the resistance's full and immediate commitment to a ceasefire," referring to Hezbollah.

"But the question is: who will force Israel to stop its aggression?", he asked.

Source: CNN