Halt to conflict urged as Israel bombs historic Lebanese port city

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken pushed on Wednesday for a halt to fighting between Israel and militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah, but heavy Israeli air strikes on a large historic Lebanese port city demonstrated that there was no respite.

Israel began to bomb the UNESCO-listed port city of Tyre roughly three hours after issuing an order online for residents to flee central areas. Huge clouds of thick smoke billowed above residential buildings.

Tens of thousands of people had already fled Tyre in recent weeks as Israel steps up its campaign to destroy Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, both close allies of Iran.

The port is typically a bustling hub for the south – with fishermen, tourists, and even U.N. peacekeepers on a break from deployments near the border spending time there by the sea. But Israel’s evacuation orders this week for the city have for the first time encompassed swathes of it, including right up to its ancient castle.

Some Lebanese fear their country will end up like Gaza, where Israeli strikes have killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and levelled much of the small enclave.

In Gaza, where Israel has intensified an assault on the northern edge of the territory since killing the leader of Hamas last week, health authorities reported at least 20 people killed in fresh Israeli strikes, most in the north.

Blinken, who has travelled to the Middle East regularly since the outbreak of the war, is making his first trip since Israel killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, its most-wanted enemy, a death Washington hopes can provide an impetus for peace.

The secretary of state’s trip is the last major U.S. peace push before a Nov. 5 presidential election between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, which could upend U.S. policy in the region.

Washington is also seeking to head off a further widening of the conflict in anticipation of Israeli retaliation for an Iranian Oct. 1 missile attack, launched by Tehran in solidarity with Hezbollah and Hamas. Blinken said on Wednesday that Israel’s retaliation should not lead to greater escalation.

After meeting Israeli officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Blinken travelled to regional power and close U.S. ally Saudi Arabia, where he met Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan. A stop in Jordan was postponed, but Blinken is expected to meet other Arab leaders at a stop in London.

In Lebanon, Israel’s military said it had killed three Hezbollah commanders and some 70 fighters in the south in the past 48 hours, a day after confirming it had killed Hashem Safieddine, the militant group’s heir apparent leader.

Blinken said it was time for Israel to capitalise on its military victories, and “turn those successes into an enduring strategic success.”

“The focus needs to be on getting the hostages home, ending this war and having a clear plan for what follows.”

In the year since Hamas-led fighters rampaged through Israeli towns killing 1,200 people and capturing more than 250 hostages, Israel has laid the Gaza Strip to waste to root out Hamas, killing nearly 43,000 Palestinians. Last week Israel killed Sinwar, suspected mastermind of the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks.

Over the past month it has also dramatically ramped up war in Lebanon against Hezbollah, a separate Iran-backed militant group that had rocketed Israel in support of the Palestinians. Israel has launched a ground offensive and killed most of Hezbollah’s leadership in air strikes that have displaced 1.2 million people.

CHANCE FOR PEACE?

Washington views the death of Sinwar as a chance to push for peace, as it would now be easier for Netanyahu and his far-right government to argue that major goals have been achieved in Gaza.

But Gaza residents say that since Sinwar’s death, Israel has only intensified an assault on northern areas where it says Hamas fighters are regrouping.

Hospitals have ceased functioning and were running out of coffins and shrouds for the dead. An emergency U.N.-backed polio vaccination campaign, launched after a Gaza baby was paralysed by the disease for the first time in 25 years, was halted.

“We call on the world, which has failed to provide protection and shelter for our people and has been unable to deliver food and medicine, to make an effort to send shrouds for our fallen,” the Gaza health ministry said in a statement.

Blinken said new formulations were being examined in an effort to win freedom for hostages held in Gaza and bring an end to the war.

Still, there has been no sign of a letup in fighting. Hamas says it will not free scores of hostages it is still holding without an Israeli promise to end the war in Gaza. Israel says it will not stop fighting in Gaza until Hamas is annihilated, and in Lebanon until Hezbollah no longer poses a threat.

Diplomats say Israel is pressing its military advantage to lock in a strong position before a new U.S. administration takes office following the Nov. 5 election.

The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA said on Wednesday one of its staff members was killed when a UNRWA vehicle was hit in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. Medics said the man’s brother was also killed. The municipality of Gaza City said two city workers were killed and three others wounded in a strike there.

In Lebanon, Israel’s offensive has driven at least 1.2 million Lebanese from their homes and killed 2,530 people, including at least 63 over the past 24 hours, the Lebanese government said on Tuesday.