More intensive raids on Lebanon: how Israel wants to settle accounts with Hezbollah
At least nine dead in Sidon, also hit Tyre and again Beirut. Tel Aviv accuses the government of not fulfilling its commitment to disarm the Party of God. Meanwhile, the number of displaced people increases
by our correspondent Roberto Bongiorni
SIDONE - Shoes, even tiny ones, slippers, clothes and everyday objects. Everything is scattered. On the ground, on the terraces, on the bonnets of cars gutted and covered in dust. Unlike other times, the Israeli army preferred not to issue evacuation orders. It is not yet clear who the targets were of yet another Israeli raid on Lebanon, this time in a suburb of the city of Sidon, which took place on the same day that the Jerusalem government rejected the negotiations proposed by the Lebanese premier and president. On the other hand, it is clear that the collateral damage - i.e. the cost in human lives that one is prepared to accept to eliminate a target - seems disproportionate. Almost all the victims (nine, as of last night) were civilians. Among them were five children.
At 12.30 p.m., at the scene of the attack, rescuers were still trying to extract the missing under the eyes of stunned family members. Palestinians and Syrian refugees live in this area, the Al-Fouar neighbourhood. The inhabitants of the neighbourhood deny that Hamas offices and staff bases were there. Still less of Hezbollah.
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This was not the only attack. In what promises to be the prelude to a ground offensive, air raids hit neighbourhoods in the city of Tyre, south of the Litani river, and once again the Shiite neighbourhood of Dahiyeh in Beirut, Hezbollah's stronghold.
The Israeli government has made it clear that any ceasefire in Iran will not be linked to the military campaign in Lebanon. The Israeli Defence Minister, Israel Katz, issued a very harsh message: 'The Lebanese government has deceived and failed to fulfil its commitment to disarm Hezbollah, and will therefore pay a price until it fulfils this obligation'. The price, the media, including Israeli media, report, would be further territorial annexation.
Confirming its intentions, the army targeted and destroyed a bridge over the Litani, the river that marks the border between South Lebanon and the rest of the country. This very river, some 25-35 km from the Israeli border, was subjected to an evacuation order by the Israeli army in its entirety.
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