The Israeli military continued its bombardment of Lebanon’s capital in what it called “a series of targeted attacks” on weapons storage facilities and other parts of Hezbollah’s infrastructure. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, 23 people were killed and 93 wounded in Israeli attacks across the country on Saturday.
Elsewhere, Israel said it had “surrounded” the Jabalya refugee camp in northern Gaza after discovering the presence of Hamas members. Attacks on a mosque in central Gaza killed at least 25 people, hospital officials said.
Meanwhile, as the anniversary of Hamas’ October 7 attacks on Israel approaches, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country is “defending itself on seven fronts.”
Here’s what you need to know:
• Strikes in Beirut: Israel bombarded the city overnight with heavy airstrikes. CNN’s Jomana Karadsheh is on the ground in the capital and said Saturday night’s strikes were the most sustained and intense he has seen since the war between Israel and Hezbollah began. The number of casualties in the strikes is not yet known.
• The Gaza refugee camp is surrounded by: The Israeli military said the Jabalya refugee camp in northern Gaza was “surrounded” after launching air and ground operations targeting what it said was military infrastructure. At least two people were killed and several others taken to hospital when an apartment building in the camp was hit, the Palestine Red Cross said.
• Strike on Gaza Mosque: At least 25 people were killed in an overnight Israeli attack on the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Mosque in central Gaza, hospital officials said. A journalist working for CNN said displaced Palestinians took refuge in the mosque when it was attacked. The Israeli military said the attack targeted a Hamas “command and control” center. Footage from the scene shows people working in the dark and looking at the light from their phones to find people trapped in the rubble. Hospital officials have said that 4 more people have died in the strike at a nearby school.
• War on many fronts: Netanyahu said Israel was fighting “the enemies of civilization” on seven fronts, including Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen and Iran. “Rest assured, Israel will fight until the war is won – for our benefit and for peace and security in the world,” he said.
• Global Protests: Thousands of people across the world took to the streets on Saturday to support the Palestinians in Gaza. Demonstrations demanding an end to the war took place in London, Dublin, Paris, Manila, Cape Town, Rome and other major cities. Meanwhile, in Israel, protesters across the country are demanding more urgent action to free Hamas hostages still in Gaza.
• Key Hezbollah Leader Missing: Hezbollah has lost contact with a potential successor to its late leader Hassan Nasrallah, a Lebanese security source told CNN on Saturday. Hashem Safideen was targeted in an Israeli attack on the southern outskirts of Beirut on Friday.
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