BEIRUT, Lebanon – Israel unleashed a furious military campaign on Lebanon’s main airport, highways, military bases and other targets Thursday, retaliating for scores of Hezbollah guerrilla rockets that rained down on Israel and reached as far as Haifa, its third-largest city, for the first time.
Israel kept up the barrage early today with airstrikes in south Beirut where Hezbollah is headquartered, Lebanese police and witnesses said.
The death toll in two days of fighting rose to 57 people with the sudden burst of violence sending shock waves through a region already traumatized by Iraq and the ongoing battles in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas. It shattered the relative calm in Lebanon that followed Israel’s pullout from its occupied zone in south Lebanon in 2000 and the withdrawal of Syrian forces last year.
Israel’s target was Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant Shiite faction that has a free hand in southern Lebanon and also holds seats in parliament. Hezbollah sparked the current conflict Wednesday with a cross-border raid that captured two Israeli soldiers.
Israel said it was determined to beat Hezbollah back and deny the militant fighters positions they have held along the border since 2000.
“If the government of Lebanon fails to deploy its forces, as is expected of a sovereign government, we shall not allow Hezbollah forces to remain any further on the borders of the state of Israel,” Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz said.
Israeli warplanes stepped up the pressure today. Police and witnesses said strikes targeted a fuel storage tank and southern suburbs where Hezbollah has its political headquarters. At least seven explosions could be heard.
Antiaircraft fire echoed as Israel jets roared over the capital. It was not immediately clear who was firing at the planes. Both the Lebanese army and Hezbollah have antiaircraft artillery.
This morning’s violence came hours after Israel dropped leaflets in the area warning residents to avoid areas where Hezbollah operates.
Fears mounted among Arab and European governments that violence in Lebanon could spiral out of control.
Israeli analysts warned that Syria, which supports Hezbollah and plays host to Hamas’ political leader Khaled Mashaal, could be Israel’s next target.
At the United Nations, the United States blocked an Arab-backed resolution that would have demanded Israel halt its military offensive in the Gaza Strip, the first U.N. Security Council veto in nearly two years.
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