Israeli Strikes in the Lebanese City of Sidon Kill at Least 10 People

 Search and rescue team members try to reach victims after an Israeli raid targeted Haret Saida in Sidon, Lebanon, 29 October 2024. According to the ministry of health at least five were killed and 33 injured in the Israeli strike. (EPA)
Search and rescue team members try to reach victims after an Israeli raid targeted Haret Saida in Sidon, Lebanon, 29 October 2024. According to the ministry of health at least five were killed and 33 injured in the Israeli strike. (EPA)
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Israeli Strikes in the Lebanese City of Sidon Kill at Least 10 People

 Search and rescue team members try to reach victims after an Israeli raid targeted Haret Saida in Sidon, Lebanon, 29 October 2024. According to the ministry of health at least five were killed and 33 injured in the Israeli strike. (EPA)
Search and rescue team members try to reach victims after an Israeli raid targeted Haret Saida in Sidon, Lebanon, 29 October 2024. According to the ministry of health at least five were killed and 33 injured in the Israeli strike. (EPA)

Lebanon’s Health Ministry said 10 people were killed and 37 others were wounded by a pair of strikes Tuesday evening in the southern coastal city of Sidon.

Within a few hours, a third apparent Israeli strike targeted another building in the same neighborhood, Lebanon's state-run media reported.

Another Israeli airstrike hit the nearby Sarafand town and killed eight people and wounded 21 others, according to the Health Ministry. It said rescue efforts were ongoing in the town, which is about 10 kilometers (6 miles) further south down the coast.

According to the National News Agency, the first strikes in Sidon targeted an area sheltering displaced people that was adjacent to a Hezbollah complex called Sayyed Shohada, located a few hundred meters (yards) from a Lebanese army barracks.

The intended target of the strikes was not clear and the Israeli army gave no warnings ahead of the bombing.

Earlier Tuesday, the Israeli military had issued evacuation orders for 16 villages in South Lebanon, instructing residents to move north of the Awali River.



Lebanon’s Berri: Resolution 1701 Stands Unchanged

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri meets with US envoy Amos Hochstein during his recent visit to Beirut (AFP)
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri meets with US envoy Amos Hochstein during his recent visit to Beirut (AFP)
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Lebanon’s Berri: Resolution 1701 Stands Unchanged

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri meets with US envoy Amos Hochstein during his recent visit to Beirut (AFP)
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri meets with US envoy Amos Hochstein during his recent visit to Beirut (AFP)

Lebanon is monitoring Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s response to US President Joe Biden’s push for a ceasefire in southern Lebanon.

Biden has sent advisors Amos Hochstein and Brett McGurk to Tel Aviv to discuss the matter with Netanyahu, marking what Lebanese officials see as the last chance for progress before the US presidential election on Nov. 5.

Lebanese leaders, including Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Najib Mikati, are cautious about predicting results.

Mikati did not comment after his recent meetings with US advisors.

However, Berri highlighted Lebanon’s prior agreement with Hochstein to a ceasefire, deploying the Lebanese army in the south, and enforcing UN Resolution 1701.

Berri reaffirmed that Lebanon won’t alter these terms, saying, “What’s agreed is agreed; Resolution 1701 stands unchanged.”

The speaker clarified that Lebanon has fulfilled its commitments and is now waiting for Netanyahu’s response, noting that Lebanon is ready to implement the ceasefire if Hochstein can secure Netanyahu’s agreement.

“The ball is now in Netanyahu’s court,” Berri said, pointing out that Netanyahu has previously agreed to and then withdrawn from ceasefire deals.

According to sources, Hezbollah is fully behind Berri’s mandate for a ceasefire.

Hezbollah’s newly appointed Secretary-General, Sheikh Naim Qassem, recently confirmed the party’s support.

Qassem is closely following developments with the party’s military leadership, while Hezbollah’s MPs continue discussions with other blocs to clarify their position.

Lebanese sources stressed that reaching a ceasefire is critical and must happen as soon as possible, asserting that Netanyahu should not leverage the situation in Gaza as a pretext to avoid a southern ceasefire.

As Biden’s envoys prepare to meet with Netanyahu, Lebanese officials remain focused on whether this effort will result in an agreement.

The ongoing clashes near the southern Lebanese town of Khiam, where Hezbollah is actively resisting Israeli advances, have intensified the situation, making the outcome of these discussions crucial.