Israeli warplanes pound Lebanese capital amid imminent cease-fire deal

By Wassim Seifeddine and Abdelraouf Arnaout

BEIRUT (AA) – The Israeli army continued its airstrikes on the Lebanese capital Beirut on Tuesday despite reports about an imminent cease-fire deal with Lebanon.

The Lebanese state news agency NNA said Israeli warplanes carried out airstrikes on the neighborhoods of Burj Al-Barajneh, Al-Raml Al-Aali, and Tahouitet El Ghadir in southern Beirut.

Heavy airstrikes and artillery shelling also targeted Housh Sour, Jdeidet Marjeyoun, and Tayr Harfa in southern Lebanon.

No information was yet available about casualties or damage.

Local media, meanwhile, reported cautious calm in the southern towns of Al-Bayyada and Al-Naqoura after failed attempts by Israeli forces to advance into the area.

Lebanese group Hezbollah, for its part, said Israeli soldiers were killed and injured in a rocket attack on a Merkava tank in southern Lebanon.

Separately, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed on Tuesday to "thwart" any attempt to smuggle weapons into Lebanon.

"Any attempt to smuggle weapons will be foiled, and any threat to our forces or Israeli citizens will be immediately eliminated," he said during a meeting with UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert.

The escalation comes as Israel’s Security Cabinet is set to convene on Tuesday to vote on a US-backed cease-fire proposal with Lebanon.

Israeli media reported early Monday that a cease-fire deal is expected to be announced between Israel and Hezbollah within two days.

Lebanese parliamentarian Qassem Hashem also said on Monday that a cease-fire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel is nearing completion and could be declared within the next 36 hours if negotiations proceed smoothly.

“The atmosphere is positive, and cease-fire discussions have reached an advanced stage. It’s only a matter of hours before an agreement is finalized and announced if progress continues as expected,” Hashem told Anadolu.

Israel has escalated its airstrikes in Lebanon against what it claims are Hezbollah targets as part of year-long warfare against the Lebanese group since the start of the Gaza war last year.

More than 3,760 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Lebanon, with nearly 15,700 injured and over a million displaced since last October, according to Lebanese health authorities.

Israel on Oct. 1 this year expanded the conflict by launching a ground assault into southern Lebanon.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala