Attacks caused panic at secondary schools in Shmustar and Taraya, where shattered glass injured students and teachers
\n BEIRUT
\nIsrael intensified its aerial assault on Lebanon\u2019s eastern regions on Wednesday, striking what it claimed were Hezbollah military targets amid growing fears that cross-border hostilities could spiral into another full-scale war.
\nThe Israeli army said its warplanes targeted \u201ca camp and a precision missile production site belonging to Hezbollah\u201d in the Jurd Baalbek-Hermel region \u2014 a rugged, mountainous area near the Syrian border long believed to be the site of Hezbollah infrastructure.
\nLebanon\u2019s Health Ministry confirmed that two people were killed and several others wounded in the wave of strikes, which hit the outskirts of the towns of Taraya, Shmustar, Bednayel, and Nabi Sheet, as well as rural areas in Janta, Al-Gharbieh, and Sherbin.
\nThe attacks caused panic at secondary schools in Shmustar and Taraya, where shattered glass injured students and teachers. Several pupils reportedly fainted amid the chaos.
\nThe latest escalation comes as Israel continues to strike deeper into Lebanese territory, while tensions mount over Hezbollah\u2019s refusal to disarm \u2014 a longstanding demand by domestic and international actors seeking to bolster state sovereignty.
\nDespite Lebanon\u2019s efforts to enforce disarmament measures and assert control over southern regions, Hezbollah maintains a parallel military presence, defying UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
\nIn a statement, Minister of Education and Higher Education Rima Karami appealed to \u201cthe major and influential countries of the world to exert pressure to halt the ongoing aggression that targets schools and civilians.\u201d
\nIsraeli media reported that five fighter jets carried out strikes on 16 targets in eastern Lebanon, while army spokesman Avichay Adraee said the air force raided \u201cseveral Hezbollah targets in the Bekaa region, including a camp used to train Hezbollah members, where members of the party were seen inside.\u201d
\nAdraee claimed that \u201cHezbollah used the camp to train and prepare its members to plan and oversee the execution of operations against Israel.\u201d
\nHe said that \u201cthe Israeli army targeted military infrastructure within a Hezbollah precision missile production site, as well as infrastructure located at a military site belonging to the party in Sherbin.\u201d
\nAdraee added that \u201cthe storage of weapons and the presence of this infrastructure, along with Hezbollah members conducting military training, constitute a blatant violation of agreements between Israel and Lebanon and a threat to Israel that must be eliminated.\u201d
\nLebanese President Joseph Aoun described the Israeli attacks as \u201cunjustified and unacceptable.\u201d
\nDuring a meeting at the Presidential Palace on Wednesday, former President Michel Aoun urged the newly appointed head of the Cessation of Hostilities Oversight Committee, US Gen. Joseph Clearfield, to intensify efforts to halt repeated Israeli attacks on Lebanon and ensure compliance with the Nov. 2024 ceasefire agreement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Attacks caused panic at secondary schools in Shmustar and Taraya, where shattered glass injured students and teachers BEIRUT Israel intensified its aerial assault on Lebanon\u2019s eastern regions on Wednesday, striking what it claimed were Hezbollah military targets amid growing fears that cross-border hostilities could spiral into another full-scale war. The Israeli army said its warplanes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":510493,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-510475","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n