Israeli Airstrike in Northern Lebanon Kills 21 Amid Escalating Cross-Border Tensions

Air raid sirens were activated across central Israel, prompting millions of residents to take shelter as shells were fired from Lebanon, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), reported by Reuters. The IDF noted efforts to intercept some of the incoming shells. In Tel Aviv, the country's economic center, authorities confirmed that sirens were sounded and searches were underway to locate areas affected by rocket debris.

Earlier reports indicated that a Hezbollah drone strike killed at least four Israeli soldiers south of Haifa. Meanwhile, in northern Lebanon, an Israeli airstrike targeted an area predominantly inhabited by Christians, resulting in 21 fatalities, as reported by the Lebanese Red Cross and cited by the Associated Press.

In the Gaza Strip, Israeli airstrikes hit various locations. An attack in Deir al-Balah killed three people and wounded 40 others, with the Israeli military stating that the strike targeted a Hamas command center. Another strike on a food distribution center in the Jabalia refugee camp led to the deaths of 10 individuals and injured 30 more.

Simultaneously, Israel is demanding the withdrawal of UN peacekeeping forces from their base along the Lebanese-Israeli border. France and Spain, the nations with the largest contingents in the UNIFIL mission, have refused to withdraw their troops, maintaining their commitment to the peacekeeping efforts.

The Pentagon announced that it would deploy an additional THAAD anti-missile system to Israel for the interception of medium-range ballistic missiles. This system, operated by the U.S. military, will join an existing battery deployed after the Hamas attack on October 7 last year, and another that was positioned in 2019.

Amid these developments, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi urged nations to remove restrictive measures that prevent refugees and migrants from crossing borders, calling such measures ineffective and sometimes unlawful. At the annual meeting of the High Commission, Grandi highlighted that 123 million people are currently displaced worldwide, an unprecedented number. He called for a focus on addressing the root causes of displacement and encouraged the creation of legal pathways for asylum instead of closing borders.