BEIRUT: Israel launched a large-scale assault on Baalbek and its surroundings on Wednesday following the forced evacuation of thousands of residents.
The offensive coincided with the first public appearance of Hezbollah’s newly appointed secretary-general, Sheikh Naim Qassem, who succeeded the assassinated Hassan Nasrallah.
In a televised address, Qassem said: “The party is ready to make great sacrifices, and we are confident that victory will be ours.”
He added: “We are facing a massive campaign — an Israeli-American-European war aimed at dismantling the resistance and oppressing our people across the region. This effort uses all forms of genocide and crime, and it must be met with steadfast opposition.”
He said his agenda was a continuation of Nasrallah’s aims: “We will carry forward the war strategy he laid out, following the established political directives. We will also continue to support Gaza. We are not fighting on behalf of anyone or for any external agenda; we are fighting for our own cause — to protect and liberate Lebanon. Iran supports us in this mission without seeking anything in return.”
Qassem characterized Hezbollah’s opening of the southern front over a year ago as an act of “preemptive defense” and said: “It was not international resolutions that pushed Israel out of Lebanon; it was the resistance.”
Israeli attacks targeting Hezbollah have focused on Baalbek and its surrounding areas, including Ain Bourday, Douris, and Iaat, following a three-hour evacuation warning issued by the Israeli army. Thousands of residents remain in these areas despite previous attacks.
Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued the warning to Baalbek residents, accompanied by a map highlighting extensive target areas that included the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
There were also recorded phone calls to residents and official centers, including the regional civil defense office, urging evacuation via designated routes.
Residents scrambled to secure transportation and take whatever belongings they could. The city was soon congested with traffic as evacuation calls echoed through mosques, churches and civil defense teams. The Labweh-Arsal road witnessed heavy traffic towards the town of Arsal, where there are several shelters.
The governor of Baalbek-Hermel, Bashir Khadr, said: “We are facing a catastrophic situation, and there is a state of panic among the residents following the Israeli evacuation warnings.”
Minister of Culture Mohammed Wissam Al-Mortada issued an urgent appeal to the UN Security Council and to “whatever remains of conscience in this world, urging them to deter the Israeli enemy from carrying out its threat to bomb the Baalbek citadel, which represents a world cultural heritage that belongs not only to Lebanon but to all of humanity.”
In the afternoon, the Israeli army issued an evacuation warning to the residents of seven towns in the Nabatieh area — Sajd, Kfarjoz, Nabatieh, Zefta, Jarjouh, Houmin El-Tahta and Kfar Rumman.
Drones actively monitored vehicles on mountainous routes as the Israeli military tried to track down Hezbollah leaders and prevent the transfer of weapons and ammunition to the group.
A driver managed to escape after his vehicle was targeted in the town of Bchamoun, while another was killed after his van was hit on the Dahr Al-Wahsh road in Aria. Several rockets which fell from the van were later detonated by the Lebanese army.
The municipalities of Araya and Kahale condemned what it described as “the use of international roads and civilian vehicles to transport armed men and weapons and ammunition, which exposes passers-by and residents of the two towns to dangers that threaten their lives and property.”
They expressed their hope that the Lebanese Army and legitimate security agencies would “intervene immediately to implement measures that prevent the use of international roads and safe areas for military purposes, thereby alleviating the threat posed to civilians.”
Meanwhile, Israeli forces resumed their incursion into the city of Khiam from both the east and south, with intense clashes involving machine gun fire, artillery shells and tank fire.
Airstrikes targeted the city of Nabatiyeh and the town of Sinay in the Sidon district, where around 15 people, including children, were killed or injured as they picked olives.
The final death toll of a strike on Sarafand on Tuesday has been given as 15. Rescue efforts concluded on Wednesday, with a child being pulled alive from beneath the rubble.
Strikes carried out over two days on two residential buildings in Haret Saida destroyed the area and left 10 people dead with a further 36 wounded.
Attacks were also carried out on government buildings, with a gendarmerie station destroyed following an airstrike on the town of Doueir. A number of military vehicles were also damaged.
