The Israeli military has released video footage of a strike in a southern Beirut suburb that reportedly killed Muhammad Hossein Sarur, the head of Hezbollah's air force unit. Following the recent escalation, tens of thousands of Lebanese residents are fleeing the affected areas amid growing safety concerns.
CGTN Europe’s Evangelo Sipsas reports from Beirut with the latest developments.
#lebanon #israel #middleeast #conflict
CGTN Europe’s Evangelo Sipsas reports from Beirut with the latest developments.
#lebanon #israel #middleeast #conflict
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NewsTranscript
00:00But what we know so far is that here in the capital of Lebanon and Beirut, and specifically
00:06in the Dahiya district of southern Beirut, a stronghold for Hezbollah, there has been,
00:11according to the Israeli forces, a precision strike against Mohammed Hussein Nassour, as
00:17you mentioned, who is someone high up in the Hezbollah organization.
00:21He's a commander for the aerial unit, specifically operating drones, operations when it comes
00:26to drones and how they're going to be used specifically when it comes to northern Israel.
00:32There hasn't been official confirmation about if he was the one who was killed.
00:37We know that two people have been killed, but there hasn't been official confirmation
00:40neither from the Lebanese government nor from Hezbollah if he was one of those two who has
00:46been killed.
00:47But we do know that there have been several injured, parts of a building have collapsed,
00:53and that attack happened as more attacks have been taking place throughout the day,
00:58throughout the past few days.
00:59We were hearing that there might have been a truce, there might have been a discussion
01:02about ceasefire, but that has put on the side, and we saw that by more intensifying the airstrikes
01:08by Israel here in southern Lebanon, in the city of Sor, in Nakoura, even in the West
01:13Bekaa Valley.
01:15There has been numerous, large numbers of people that have been killed so far.
01:19Just from Monday until today, we're talking about close to 700 people have lost their
01:22lives and thousands have been injured, so you understand that it doesn't seem like it's
01:27been going away.
01:28And besides that, people here in Lebanon are feeling the fear, are feeling that something
01:33is going to happen.
01:34The mood has changed.
01:35People have united together to help those who are displaced, but there are also a number
01:39of people that are concerned.
01:40They're concerned of what's going to happen next.
01:41They're concerned if Israel is going to go ahead with a ground invasion, and they're
01:45concerned if these airstrikes are going to intensify.
01:47We spoke to some of those people, and what they told us is that when you have a neighbor
01:51like Israel in the south, it's difficult to stay safe.
01:54Let's have a listen.
01:58The reality is, when it comes to a country like Israel, no one is truly safe.
02:04We are facing a situation where displacement in our region has become severe.
02:08It could be a thousand people today, maybe 5,000 tomorrow if things get worse.
02:13No one really knows, but one thing we do know is that with Israel, safety is an illusion.
02:21The violence Israel unleashes on any target is horrifying, and in every village and town,
02:26every Lebanese person feels fear.
02:28I'll be honest, there's been a lot of shouting among us, because leaving would mean abandoning
02:33our homes, our country, we ask for help like any nation would.
02:37Who wouldn't be afraid?
02:38And that's what people have been feeling.
02:40They feel that they're not safe.
02:42They feel that something bigger might happen, and they're concerned.
02:45They don't want to leave their houses.
02:46They don't want to be one of those hundreds, 100,000 people that have left their houses
02:50in southern Lebanon to move elsewhere.
02:53They want to stay in their homes, but they want to stay safe.
02:55Now, a reminder that thousands of people had to flee their homes.
02:59The situation is turning literally into something very much difficult for the Lebanese government,
03:04because for years now, they rely on humanitarian aid, and they don't know if more people are
03:08actually leaving their homes and finding shelter elsewhere, if they're going to have enough
03:13stocks to be able to provide to those people the essentials so they can actually leave
03:18and find refuge.