Over 2,100 killed, 1.2m displaced in bombardment of Lebanon

Hizbollah targeted Israeli soldiers near the Lebanese border village of Labbouneh with artillery shells and rockets on Wednesday, the group said, a day after Israel said it had killed two successors to its slain leader.

The Iran-backed movement, which has been launching rockets against Israel for a year in parallel with the Gaza war and is now fighting it in ground clashes, said it had pushed the troops back.

The escalation in Lebanon, after a year of war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, has raised fears of a wider Middle East conflict that could suck in Iran and Israel's superpower ally the United States.

The Israeli military said three of its soldiers were severely injured on Tuesday and Wednesday during combat in southern Lebanon. Sirens sounded in northern Israel on Wednesday morning after Israel renewed bombing of Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hizbollah stronghold, overnight.

Israel has said that troops from as many as four divisions have operated inside Lebanon since the first announcement of the ground operation on Oct. 1, but it has not confirmed that they have established a permanent presence there.

Over 2,100 killed

Hizbollah says it has clashed with Israeli troops on Lebanese soil, including with artillery fire and rockets, but that it has managed to push the troops back and prevent them from holding territory in Lebanon.

Displaced families stay on the street next to a mosque after spending the night in Beirut on Wednesday. Reuters

Israel's bombardment of Lebanon has killed more than 2,100 people, most of them in the last two weeks, and forced 1.2 million people from their homes. Israel says it has no choice but to strike Hizbollah so that tens of thousands of Israelis can return to homes they fled under Hizbollah rocket fire.

Burn victims

Burn victims from Israeli strikes are being treated at the burn unit in Beirut's Geitaoui hospital, the only one of its kind in the country. Reuters journalists saw nurses gently change the gauze on patients, some of whom were wrapped neck down because of the severity of burns.

Mahmoud Dhaiwi, a Lebanese soldier, told Reuters he was off duty and heading to the beach when his car was hit by an Israeli strike. His whole body has been burned. Since then he hasn't been able to sleep and has suffered from crippling anxiety.

Overnight, Israel again bombed Beirut's southern suburbs and said it had killed a figure responsible for budgeting and logistics for Hizbollah, Suhail Hussein Husseini.

The densely-populated and thriving suburban district has been abandoned by many residents following Israeli evacuation warnings. Some Lebanese draw parallels between the warnings and those seen in Gaza over the last year, prompting fears that Beirut could face the same scale of destruction.

Biden-Netanyahu call

US President Joe Biden is expected to speak on Wednesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a person familiar with the matter, with talks set to include discussion of any plans to strike Iran.

Biden has said he would think about alternatives to striking Iranian oil fields if he were in Israel's shoes. That option could drive up global oil prices. Last week, he also said he would not support Israel striking Iranian nuclear sites.

Reuters