The US opposes the scale of Israel's airstrike campaign in Beirut.

The US is concerned about the airstrikes.

Two weeks after Israel launched its offensive in southern Lebanon, ostensibly aimed at pushing back Hezbollah, evacuation orders from the Israeli military are also affecting the lives of a quarter of Lebanon's population, according to the UN refugee agency.

Several Western governments have called for a ceasefire between the two countries, as well as in Gaza, but the US continues to affirm its support for Israel, continuing to provide more troops and anti-missile systems.

On Tuesday, U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the U.S. had sent a message to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressing concern about the recent airstrikes.

He spoke in a tougher tone than Washington's messages in recent weeks, stating: "Regarding the scale of the bombing campaign in Beirut in recent weeks, we have made our message to the Israeli government clear about our concerns and our objections."

Additionally, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also sent letters to Israeli officials on Sunday, demanding a clear solution to the escalating situation in Gaza and urging them to take action within the next 30 days.

Israel has begun to escalate pressure on Hezbollah since launching its offensive in southern Lebanon following a series of airstrikes that killed several Hezbollah leaders and commanders, including what is believed to be the deadliest blow against the organization in decades that killed former secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah last month.

On Tuesday, Netanyahu contacted French President Emmanuel Macron in a phone call, stating his opposition to a unilateral ceasefire and expressing his "surprise" at Macron's plan to hold a conference in Lebanon.

In a separate statement, Netanyahu's office said: "A reminder to the French President: The State of Israel was not established under a UN resolution; the State of Israel was established on the basis of the victory we achieved in the War of Independence."

The Elysee Palace has not responded to requests for comment. The two administrations have clashed in the past, including over Macron's call to halt arms supplies to Israel.

Forgiveness and a ceasefire

While diplomatic efforts stalled, the fighting continued.

On Tuesday, the Israeli military announced the arrest of three members of Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force, stating that they had been taken to Israel for questioning. Hezbollah has not yet commented.

Early on Tuesday, Hezbollah's deputy leader Naim Qassem said he would "not tolerate" Israel but at the same time called for a ceasefire.

Photo: REUTERS/Walid Saleh.

In his speech, Qassem stated: "Following the signing of the ceasefire, based on the indirect provisions, settlers can return to the North and the next steps will be negotiated."

There has been no response from Israel yet. The country's forces have stated that the operation in Lebanon is being carried out to allow tens of thousands of people who have been forced to evacuate northern Israel due to attacks from Hezbollah to return home.

Qassem asserted that Israelis would continue to be evacuated and that "hundreds of thousands, even more than 2 million people, will face danger every hour, every day."

Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 2,350 people over the past year and injured nearly 11,000, displacing 1.2 million, according to figures from the Lebanese health ministry.

The death toll included both civilians and combatants, but also hundreds of women and children.

The health ministry said that 41 people had died and 124 were injured on Monday. Around 50 Israelis, including civilians and soldiers, have died since fighting began.

This figure reflects the heavy price Lebanon has paid while Israel fought to destroy Hezbollah and its infrastructure in the protracted conflict, which resumed last year after Hezbollah began launching rockets at Israel in support of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Evacuation order

Rema Jamous Imseis, director of the Middle East region at the UN refugee agency, said that Israeli evacuation orders sent to numerous communities in southern Lebanon have affected the lives of more than a quarter of the country's population.

In Geneva, she observed: "The people there heard the evacuation orders, and they had to flee with almost nothing to take with them."

Israel continued to expand its bombing campaign on Monday, and local health officials said at least 22 people were killed in an airstrike in northern Lebanon targeting a house where several evacuees were staying.

Many of them were women and children from the same family.

UN human rights spokesman Jeremy Laurence called for an investigation into the airstrike, noting that the attack raised serious concerns regarding the "law of war".

Israel has not commented on the airstrike, but affirmed that it took all possible measures to avoid civilian casualties.

Israel's current military campaign in Lebanon is focused on the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon, the outskirts around Beirut, and southern Lebanon.

Nguyen Quang Minh (according to Reuters)

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/my-phan-doi-quy-mo-chien-dich-khong-kich-beirut-cua-israel-204241016151441755.htm