Beirut, March 31 (Petra) -- Israeli warplanes carried out intense airstrikes on Tuesday evening targeting the outskirts of Taria and Shmustar west of Baalbek in the Bekaa Valley, as well as the Ghobeiry area in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
A Lebanese security source said Israeli forces also conducted powerful explosions near the border town of Naqoura in the Tyre district and the town of Taybeh in the Marjeyoun district. Warplanes launched heavy raids on the city of Bint Jbeil and the town of Mansouri in Tyre, alongside artillery shelling of several towns in the Tyre district, amid heavy aerial activity.
Meanwhile, Lebanon’s Ministry of Health said in a statement that the total number of fatalities since March 2 has risen to 1,268, with 3,750 people injured.
Politically, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Israel continues to reject Lebanese, Arab, and international calls to halt its war on Lebanon and begin negotiations that would restore Lebanon’s sovereignty over all its territory, including the south up to the internationally recognized borders, and enable the Lebanese army to redeploy and assert state authority through its legitimate military forces.
A statement from the Lebanese presidency said Aoun told French Armed Forces Minister Delegate Alice Roufo that Lebanon welcomes the support provided by French President Emmanuel Macron to help the country confront the ongoing Israeli escalation, reach a ceasefire, and launch negotiations in line with the initiative Aoun announced days earlier.
//Petra// AF
